Alex Saucedo stops Lenny Zappavigna in bloodbath FOY candidate

Super lightweight prospect Alex Saucedo was heavily favored going into his bout with Lenny Zappavigna. It turned into a Fight of the Year candidate.

On Saturday, June 30, Alex Saucedo (28-0, 18 KOs) fought in front of his hometown in a super lightweight WBO title eliminator. It was expected that he would have a dominant performance over Lenny Zappavigna (37-4, 27 KOs). It transformed into a Fight of the Year candidate.

Saucedo had every advantage heading into this fight. At 5-foot-10, he is 4 inches taller than Zappavigna. He also had more than a 4-inch reach advantage. Saucedo had youth on his side as well. He’s 24 years old while Zappavigna is 30.

To make the task of victory even more daunting for Zappavigna, he had to fight in front of a hostile pro-Saucedo Oklahoma City crowd. On paper, he didn’t stand a chance. For the first three rounds, it didn’t look like it either.

Zappavigna has a history of cutting easily. That’s a bit of an understatement. His face peels easier than an onion. In the first two rounds, Saucedo clipped Zappavigna with some nice shots, but Zappavigna was holding his own. Then round three started.

Zappavigna stood toe-to-toe with Saucedo. That proved to be a mistake. Saucedo caught Zappavigna with a right hook that dropped him to the canvas. He got to his feet and finished the round, but it looked like his night, and possibly his career, was over. He was bleeding from the right eye and his face took significant damage.

Coming into this fight, Zappavigna had the reputation as a tough fighter, but one who was destined to be a gatekeeper. He had three losses on his record and no notable victories. An ugly loss could’ve banished him to the status of journeyman.

When round four started, Saucedo came out storming after Zappavigna to finish him off. Instead, Zappavigna dug deep and badly hurt Saucedo with a straight right. Saucedo crashed against the ropes but stayed on his feet.

Zappavigna knew he Saucedo was stunned and he immediately jumped on him. He threw constant left and right hooks for well over a minute straight. He was hitting Saucedo with nearly every punch he threw.

The referee looked closely at Saucedo. He took a lot of punishment but offered little back. Zappavigna’s paced slowed towards the end of the round and Saucedo barely survived. As Saucedo sat down in his corner, he was bleeding from his right eye.

The fourth round of this fight is a Round of the Year candidate. There hasn’t been a fight this year where the roles changed so quickly and a boxer absorbed that much damage in a sigle round of a competitive bout.

Saucedo’s warrior spirit showed in the fifth round as he bounced back. He shook off his failures in the previous round to thoroughly out-box Zappavigna. He landed several powerful blows to Zappavigna’s face that opened another cut over his left eye. Zappavigna’s left eye started to swell and close.

Zappavigna’s work rate dropped significantly in round six. Saucedo took advantage and stepped up his attack. With every blow he took on the temples, Zappavigna’s cuts bled profusely. His blood covered the center of the canvas. ESPN cameras were splashed with Zappavigna’s blood several times after his head whipped in their direction following ferocious punches from Saucedo.

When Zappavigna returned to his corner at the end of the round his face was covered in a mask of red. The referee or doctor would have been justified in stopping the fight, but they allowed him to continue.

Zappavigna had nothing left. The seventh was target practice for Saucedo. Zappavigna’s corner realized their fighter was done and mercifully threw in the towel. CompuBox numbers show that Saucedo landed 50 percent of his power punches. They were too much for Zappavigna to handle.

Saucedo vs. Zappavigna was a dramatic bout that had everything you could want in a fight. Both men gave it everything they had. Zappavigna lost, but his career certainly isn’t over. He showed ability and heart. He made a lot of fans tonight and should find himself on T.V. soon after he heals from his wounds.

Next: Wilder vs. Joshua prevented by Hearn and the WBA

Saucedo was challenged and he stood up to the test. He can take just as good as he gives. He’s the real deal and he earned a shot at Maurice Hooker and his WBO super lightweight title. If you have a chance to watch a replay of this fight, do it. It’s a rare boxing bout where both fighters’ hearts are on full display. Both men should be proud of their performance.