WILLIAM Zepeda knocked out Giovanni Cabrera in round three at the Toyota Arena, Ontario, last night.
Awkward in his style and stance, wiry left-hander Cabrera enjoyed an excellent opening round, landing left hands and right hooks to keep Zepeda off balance.
Trained by Freddie Roach, Cabrera lowered Zepeda’s relentless punch output until midway through the second round, when southpaw Zepeda had found his range and rhythm.
That carried on into the third when a sneaky swipe to the body caught Cabrera (who weighed two pounds over the limit on Friday) in between flurries and sent him to the canvas.
Cabrera rose too late for referee Thomas Taylor’s liking and was counted out at 1:58 of the third. After his second career defeat, Cabrera falls to 22-2 (7 KOs). His other loss came to Isaac Cruz by split decision.
Zepeda remains unbeaten at 31-0 (27 KOs) and is a prime specimen at the peak of his powers. As the bout began, Chris Mannix listed off a number of Mexican legends of the past and stated that Zepeda has the tools to follow in their footsteps.
All he needs now is the right dance partners to create that legacy. On the same night, Shakur Stevenson defeated Artem Harutyunyan on points in Newark. Their skill sets are different, but Zepeda brings more heat and excitement than Shakur. A fight between Zepeda and ‘Pitbull’ Cruz would be a battle to behold.
