Eyeing a European title, Smith KOs Zepeda in 5th

Nick Parkinson posted on March 23, 2024 at 8:05 PM Eastern Time.

In Sheffield, England on Saturday, Dalton Smith made a promising move towards fighting in more significant battles within the junior welterweight division. He accomplished this by delivering a devastating strike to Jose Zepeda's body, resulting in a knockout in the fifth round.

The fighter from England made an excellent move by hitting his opponent's body with a right hand punch, which gave him a win in front of his hometown supporters at the Sheffield Arena. It was an amazing win by knockout over someone who had challenged for a world title on three separate occasions. This is the most impressive moment of Smith's career yet and it definitely puts him in a group of genuine contenders weighing 140 pounds.

Many individuals believed that this match was premature for me. However, that motivated me to put in more effort during training. Ultimately, I proved my worth tonight," stated Smith. "I landed some excellent hits, with one particular uppercut causing significant damage. That was when I realized I could potentially harm him."

Zepeda has suffered another setback in his goal to compete for a world championship once again. This loss is particularly devastating considering that he has already lost three times in world title matches and has notched up three defeats in a total of four recent fights. At present, Zepeda's career is going down a path he didn't anticipate or desire.

Smith went in a different direction and defeated Zepeda by landing a powerful right hand to the solar plexus. Although he still has a way to go before being on the same level as the top junior welterweights, like Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez, this victory brings him closer to the possibility of competing for the world title. Smith's next goal is facing off against Adam Azim, a 22-year-old champion from Europe who has a record of 11-0, with 8 knockouts, also hailing from England.

Smith stated that he does not often mention people by name but he has a message for Adim Azim, asking where he is at. Smith believes that Azim will give up the title and admits that he respects him. However, Smith makes it clear that he desires the European title.

Smith, who boasts a record of 16 wins and 12 knockouts, had primarily fought in his home country. In his latest match, he successfully defended his title as the British junior welterweight champion for the third time.

Zepeda, who hails from La Puente, California, has a boxing record of 37 wins and 5 losses with 28 knockouts under his belt. He holds the title of the most challenging opponent Smith has faced thus far and is also left-handed, which gave him a positive kick-off in the match.

Zepeda, who's 34 years old, managed to hit a strong left hand during the second round while Smith found it challenging to establish his dominance. However, during the third round, Smith managed to relax and select his shots carefully, delivering two-hit combinations on Zepeda.

In the fourth round of the match, Smith displayed excellent boxing skills by efficiently utilizing his jab and also landed a heavy right hook on Zepeda. Moving on to the fifth round, Smith hit Zepeda so hard with a right uppercut that it made him stumble. Finally, he finished him off with a body shot. Smith, who is 27 years old, proved to be a tough opponent for Zepeda.

Zepeda's previous journey to England concluded terribly as he was forced to give up during the second round due to a shoulder dislocation in a world lightweight title battle against Terry Flanagan. This time, he managed to last a bit longer against Smith, but unfortunately, it still resulted in him being counted out on his knees, causing him to experience immense pain once more.

Smith is hoping to achieve the title of boxing world champion in Sheffield, akin to famous names like Kell Brook, Naseem Hamed, Clinton Woods, Junior Witter, and Johnny Nelson. Though it's a difficult feat, Smith seems to have the skills and a devoted fan base to reach his goals.

Ryan successfully retains his welterweight championship title with an impressive victory.

Sandy Ryan dominated her opponent, Terri Harper from England, in four rounds during her second defense of the WBO world welterweight championship title in Sheffield.

Ryan's performance was exceptional and her greatest achievement so far. She dominated the fight against Harper, who has won titles in two different weight classes, from the very beginning until Harper's team decided to stop the fight after the fourth round. Ryan completely overpowered her opponent.

Ryan, who has a record of 7 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw with 3 knockouts, is originally from Derby in England but now resides in Las Vegas. In September, she participated in a world title unification fight against American Jessica McCaskill and the fight ended in a split points draw. Ryan has stated her desire for a rematch, but McCaskill, who has a record of 12 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw with 5 knockouts, will be defending her WBA belt against Lauren Price on May 11 before considering any future fights. Ryan does have other options available to her as well.

Ryan suggested that since the WBC belt is currently unclaimed, this creates an opportunity for big fights to take place amongst female fighters like Natasha Jonas and Chantelle Cameron.

Harper, a 27-year-old fighter from Doncaster in England, had previously fought to a draw against former welterweight world champion Cecilia Braekhus in October. However, in her latest fight, she was not even a contender.

In the beginning, Ryan started off by being fierce and throwing strong punches while keeping up his speed and effort. By the end of the second round, Ryan hit Harper with a strong right punch that caused him to appear to be in harm's way.

During the third round, Ryan chose to be offensive towards Harper towards the end of the game while Harper tried to defend. During the same round, Harper felt uneasy upon experiencing a powerful punch from Ryan. On the fourth round, Harper continued to receive more hits from Ryan which led to his downfall. The round ended with Ryan unleashing a victorious right punch through Harper's defense.

Harper's fighter was retired by their corner after receiving three consecutive punches towards the end of the fourth round.

Harper has changed her weight divisions several times in order to arrange fights. She previously won titles in both junior lightweight and junior middleweight divisions, and adjusted to a lower weight class in order to fight against Ryan. However, Harper seemed uneasy and lacked the power to keep up with Ryan, who was highly skilled and precise.