SAUCEDO STOPS ZAPPAVIGNA IN A BLOODY WAR

Boxing Talk
By Scott Shaffer

Alex Saucedo TKO7 Lenny Zappavigna… Fighting in his hometown of Oklahoma city, junior welterweight Alex Saucedo stopped Australia’s Lenny Zappavigna in a bloodbath. The fight featured tons of offense, little defense and two helpless cutmen. The action was reminiscent of vintage Arturo Gatti, similar to the Micky Ward or Wilson Rodriguez fights. In less than eight rounds, nearly 400 punches landed, with Saucedo holding a 254-143 edge.

Saucedo (pictured) cut Zappavigna early and floored him in the third. Saucedo landed a right hook in the middle of a toe-to-toe exchange that made it seem like it would be an easy night for the local favorite. But Zappavigna showed the heart of a champion, busting Saucedo up in the very next round and nearly putting him out before Saucedo started a firefight that had both men bleeding profusely. The furious action continued in the fifth with Zappavigna landing big punches but Saucedo using his boxing skils to get the better of the action. By round six, Zappavigna was bleeding badly around his right eye and a big mouse underneath his left. By round seven, Saucedo, who was bleeding badly himself, began circling towards Zappavigna’s nearly closed left eye, and Zappavigna was not really able to see the punches coming. Zappavigna’s corner humanely stopped the fight in the middle of round seven.With the win, Saucedo became the WBO mandatory contender for Maurice Hooker’s title. source: espn