Arnold Barboza Jr. continued his progress with victory over Danielito Zorrilla in a Puerto Rico vs Mexico battle.
Junior welterweight contender Barboza Jr. waited nearly ten years as a pro to make his main event debut. He took full advantage of the opportunity.
Arnold Barboza Jr
Barboza (27-0, 10 KOs), from South El Monte, California, ground down Zorrilla to win a ten-round unanimous decision.
His triumph occurred in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,836 Friday evening at Pechanga Resort Casino.
Ranked No. 8 by the WBO at 140 pounds, he prevailed by scores of 98-92 and 97-93 2x.
Barboza returned from an 11-month layoff in vintage form, wearing down Zorrilla with a consistent body attack and well-placed right hands.
Zorrilla (16-1, 12 KOs), down big on the cards, summoned one final charge in the 10th round.
He landed a crisp right hand that wobbled Barboza, creating one very anxious moment for the Southern California standout. Barboza composed himself and held on for win number 27.
Teofimo Lopez
Barboza said, “I was a little rusty. It’s been a while. I’m not going to be inactive like that anymore, man. I’m going to be constantly fighting.
“I was more off balance {in the 10th round}. I was right there. Once you saw me off balance, I was right back to my thing.
“Shout out to my conditioning. My conditioning was on point.
Muratalla co-feature
“My manager knows, if we can’t get a title shot, you know who it is. We want Teofimo. It’s either a title shot or him.”
Lightweight sensation Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (15-0, 12 KOs) shut out the game Jair Valtierra (16-2, 8 KOs).
He won over eight rounds by identical scores of 80-71. Muratalla, from Fontana, California. He also dropped Valtierra with a left hook in the fourth.
Muratalla landed 133 power punches to 20 for Valtierra but saw his nine-bout knockout streak end.
Muratalla pressed for the knockout in the eighth round, but the stubborn Valtierra fired back and saw the final bell.
“I did OK. But I felt like I was a little bit sloppy. I could’ve done a lot better. There are better days to come,” Muratalla said.
“I just want to stay active, keep fighting, and whatever opponents they bring to me, they bring to me.
“I just want to get to the top, and I’m going to keep fighting and fighting.”
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