Zepeda triumphs in the rematch against Farmer and remains the unbeaten WBC Interim World Lightweight Champion.
William Zepeda remains WBC Interim World Lightweight Champion! The undefeated Mexican prevailed in an intense rematch against tough Tevin Farmer to secure a majority decision victory in Cancun, Mexico. The event was presented by Golden Boy Promotions .
Two of the three judges scored the fight in favor of Zepeda (33-0, 27 knockouts): Rafael Ortiz Loyo saw him ahead 116-112, while Nathan Palmer scored it 115-113 in his favor. Ed Pearson, on the other hand, scored the fight a draw (114-114), underlining Farmer’s (33-8-1, 8 knockouts) strong performance. It was a clearer victory than in their first clash last November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when Zepeda narrowly won by split decision after a knockdown in round four.
Zepeda already had his first moments of success in the second round when he put Farmer under pressure on the ropes and put the US-American under pressure. However, Farmer survived the round and got into the fight better in the third round. However, Zepeda kept the pressure constantly high.
In the fourth round, Farmer stopped a powerful attack from the Mexican with a spectacular left uppercut. But Zepeda responded promptly: at the end of the fifth round, Farmer was put under pressure again, but was able to counter with a cracking uppercut just before the bell.
In rounds six to eight, Farmer managed to neutralize Zepeda’s attacks better, but the Mexican again used hard body shots in the seventh round. A good left punch from Farmer in the ninth hardly impressed Zepeda – he continued to march forward.
The last three rounds were evenly balanced: While Zepeda continued to apply pressure and attack the body, Farmer tried to score points with clever counter-attacks. In the end, however, it was not enough to dethrone the Mexican. With this victory, Zepeda continues to secure his position as the mandatory challenger to WBC world champion Shakur Stevenson.
Oscar Collazo knocks out Edwin Cano and defends minimumweight title
Oscar Collazo made a clear statement in the co-main event: The Puerto Rican defended his WBA and WBO minimumweight world titles with an impressive knockout in round five against Edwin Cano.
As early as the fourth round, Collazo (12-0, 9 knockouts) put his Mexican opponent in trouble with an uppercut and followed up with hard combinations to the body. Cano (13-3-1, 4 knockouts) tried to fight back, but Collazo remained ice-cold and grinned defiantly at his opponent.
In the fifth round, Collazo immediately followed up and hit Cano several times with hard left body punches. The Mexican contorted his face in pain and had to go down after another left-right combination. Referee Miguel Angel Canul stopped the fight after 1:12 minutes.
An impressive win for Collazo, who further cemented his position as one of the dominant champions in the minimumweight division.