By: Sean Crose
Golden Boy Boxing returned to DAZN on Saturday night as the streaming service broadcast a card live from Dallas, Texas featuring a lightweight bout between William Zepeda and Jaime Arboleda. First, however, was the scheduled eight-round super-middleweight bombshell between David Stevens 12-0 and 26-6-1 veteran boxer Marco Antonio Periban.
Stevens was ahead after two rounds, and even appeared to injure his men in the third round, but Periban surprised his men with a lightning-fast knockdown in the third round. However, Stevens got up quickly and was able to throw harder punches throughout the match. No wonder the man remained undefeated after the final bell rang, thanks to a unanimous decision victory from the umpires.
Next up is the scheduled 10th round match of the super-middleweight division between Esteban Villalobos 16-1-1 and Fredrick Lawson 29-3. Villalobos got off to a positive start, leaving Lawson on hold. Indeed, the fight was full of excitement throughout the first half, flashes of light that landed both men well.
And sure enough, the fight remains intriguing until the very end. Villalobos stalked and Lawson unleashed powerful punches from a defensive position. In fact, the final round was a tense exchange of words, with each person shooting very hard at the other. Sure enough, Lawson was clearly wounded in the last minute of the fight. Furthermore, Villalobos almost finished him off before the final bell. Honestly, it was a great fight, a fight the judges gave Lawson.
Next up is Diego De La Hoya 24-1, facing Victor Morales 17-0-1 in a featherweight bout scheduled for ten. The first round wasn’t boring, but it wasn’t particularly exciting either. Things were different in the second inning, when Morales darted forward like a pit bull and knocked De La Hoya down with a great left. Face covered in blood, De La Hoya was somehow able to defeat the count. He immediately began to fight tenaciously, but fell again – and this time couldn’t get up in time. At the very least, it’s a huge win for Morales.
It’s time for the main event. Jaime Arboleda 19-2 is taking on favorites William Zepeda 27-0 in a scheduled twelve-round lightweight bout. The first half was exciting, fast-paced and tight, although Zepeda probably took the lead. Impressive combinations and bodybuilding knocked out Arboleda in the second minute. Arboleda was up but clearly in trouble. Indeed, he was put down a second time shortly after. Once again, Arboleda was able to get up – but Zepeda’s body attack knocked him down and passed out into the night a few seconds later.
