BoxRec

Kendo Castaneda Replaces Baranchyk, To Fight Jose Zepeda 7/7 In Las Vegas

Jose Zepeda has yet another opponent for his July 7 fight in Las Vegas.

Boxing Scene has learned that Kendo Castaneda has accepted that challenging assignment on seven days’ notice. Marcelino Lopez, a southpaw from Argentina, first agreed to replace an injured Ivan Baranchyk on short notice.

Zepeda was preparing for the right-handed Baranchyk, who withdrew from their 10-round fight over the weekend due to a rib injury. The junior welterweight contender was willing to face a left-handed opponent, though, even without an appropriate amount of time to adjust.

Once Lopez (36-2-1, 21 KOs) changed his mind, San Antonio’s Castaneda agreed to replace Baranchyk. Castaneda (17-1, 8 KOs, 1 NC) had been training to appear on another Top Rank/ESPN card later in July.

ESPN will televise the Zepeda-Castaneda contest as the main event July 7 from MGM Grand Conference Center.

The 26-year-old Castaneda suffered his first professional defeat in his last fight – a 10-round majority decision to Puerto Rico’s Yomar Alamo (18-0-1, 12 KOs) on February 28 in Kissimmee, Florida. In Zepeda, Castaneda will encounter a top 140-pound contender who nearly upset unbeaten WBC/WBO champion Jose Ramirez in February 2019.

Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) referred to Zepeda as the toughest opponent of his career after defeating Zepeda by majority decision in their 12-rounder at Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California, near Ramirez’s hometown of Avenal. The 31-year-old Zepeda (31-2, 25 KOs, 1 NC), of La Puente, California, bounced back from that close loss by convincingly out-boxing former two-division champion Jose Pedraza (26-3, 13 KOs) in Zepeda’s last appearance, September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

If Zepeda defeats Castaneda, his handlers hope to reschedule his fight with Russia’s Baranchyk (20-1, 13 KOs) for later this year. The former IBF junior welterweight champion’s team initially had hoped to push back their fight a few weeks, until they realized Baranchyk’s rib needed more time to heal than that.

The card headlined by Zepeda-Lopez also will include a 10-round featherweight fight in which Andy Vences (23-1-1, 12 KOs), of San Jose, California, will meet Mexico’s Luis Alberto Lopez (20-2, 11 KOs).

Jose Zepeda returns to face Kendo Castaneda in tonight’s ESPN main event.

Top Rank Boxing on ESPN is back tonight at 8 pm ET, with junior welterweight contender Jose Zepeda taking on short-notice opponent Kendo Castaneda in the main event from Las Vegas.

Zepeda, 31, is a southpaw who lost a very competitive title fight with Jose Ramirez in Feb. 2019, and returned last September to score a strong win over Jose Zepeda. Zepeda was in action last Thursday and looked strong and fit at 140, meaning that may be an even better win for Zepeda than we first thought, wondering then if Pedraza was maybe just fighting too heavy at 140.

Castaneda, 26, is a San Antonio fighter who headlined some UFC Fight Pass shows promoted by Roy Jones Jr, then stepped it up a bit in February of this year, losing to fellow unbeaten prospect Yomar Alamo via majority decision in a Telemundo main event. Zepeda is here replacing the injured Ivan Baranchyk, and all things considered he’s a pretty good fighter to get in on such short notice.

Zepeda-Castaneda is being fought at a 144-pound catchweight.

Junior lightweights Andy Vences and Luis Alberto Lopez will be in the co-feature, and four more fights are on the card, including BUBBLE! returns for Gabriel Muratalla and Reymond Yanong. Yanong will face Genaro Gamez.

Zepeda, 31, is a southpaw who lost a very competitive title fight with Jose Ramirez in Feb. 2019, and returned last September to score a strong win over Jose Zepeda. Zepeda was in action last Thursday and looked strong and fit at 140, meaning that may be an even better win for Zepeda than we first thought

So Zepada fought just a couple days ago, and he scored a strong win over himself---a win that might actually underrated

What a guy

Main Card (ESPN, 8:00 pm ET)

10 Round 144 lb Catchweight Bout
Jose Zepeda (31-2, 25 KOs) vs. Kendo Castaneda (17-1, 8 KOs)

10 Round Junior Lightweight Bout
Andy Vences (23-1-1, 12 KOs) vs. Luis Alberto Lopez (20-2, 11 KOs),

8 Round Lightweight Bout
Andres Cortes (12-0, 7 KO) vs. Alejandro Salinas (10-3, 9 KOs)

8 Round Welterweight Bout
Genaro Gamez (9-1, 6 KO) vs. Reymond Yanong (11-5-1, 9 KOs)

4 Round Lightweight Bout
Eric Puente (2-0, 0 KO) vs. Diego Elizondo (2-1-2, 0 KOs)

4 Round Bantamweight Bout
Gabriel Muratalla (3-0, 3 KO) vs. Sergio Lopez (4-5-3, 0 KOs)

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑07 Jul 2020, 10:41

Zepeda, 31, is a southpaw who lost a very competitive title fight with Jose Ramirez in Feb. 2019, and returned last September to score a strong win over Jose Zepeda. Zepeda was in action last Thursday and looked strong and fit at 140, meaning that may be an even better win for Zepeda than we first thought

So Zepada fought just a couple days ago, and he scored a strong win over himself---a win that might actually underrated

What a guy

LEGEND!!

These press releases are never checked over.

Tuesday 7, July 2020
The Bubble, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

super feather
Andy Vences 23 1 1
vs
Luis Alberto Lopez Vargas 20 2 0

welter
Jose Zepeda 31 2 0
vs
Kendo Castaneda 17 1 0

light
Andres Cortes 12 0 0
vs
Alejandro Salinas 10 3 0

welter
Genaro Gamez 9 1 0
vs
Reymond Yanong 11 5 1

light
Eric Puente 2 0 0
vs
Diego Elizondo 2 1 2

super bantam
Gabriel Muratalla 3 0 0
vs
Sergio Lopez 4 5 3






welter
Genaro Gamez 9 1 0
vs
Reymond Yanong 11 5 1

Gamez won by 1st round KO




FULL CARD HIGHLIGHTS HERE:
https://www.the13thround.com/phpBB2/vie ... 6#p1850906


ENJOY!!

Jose Zepeda Boxes Past a Game Kendo Castaneda Over Ten

Jose Zepeda produced as expected Tuesday night.

The sharp southpaw out-boxed late replacement Kendo Castaneda and won a unanimous decision in their 10-round welterweight fight in Las Vegas. Castaneda came to fight, but Zepeda comfortably beat him on the scorecards of judges Tim Cheatham (98-92), Dave Moretti (98-92) and Patricia Morse Jarman (97-93) in a main event ESPN aired from MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

The 31-year-old Zepeda, a junior welterweight contender from La Puente, California, improved to 32-2. Castaneda (17-2, 8 KOs, 1 NC) lost a second straight fight.

“I think it was good,” Zepeda told ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna of his performance. “I mean, you never know when a new opponent comes in and nobody knows a lot about him. He has just one loss, and he didn’t get knocked out. Since he hasn’t been [on] the big stages, nobody knows nothing about him. But today I noticed he can hit, get some punches [in]. So, it was a good performance. I could do better. You know, every time when the level goes up, I go up, too.”

CompuBox’s unofficial figures strongly supported the official outcome. According to CompuBox, Zepeda out-landed Castaneda by 56 punches overall (149-of-446 to 93-of-422), including advantages in power punches (113-of-226 to 74-of-278) and jabs (36-of-220 to 19-of-144).

San Antonio’s Castaneda, 26, took the toughest fight of his career on barely seven days’ notice. Zepeda was supposed to battle Russia’s Ivan Baranchyk (20-1, 13 KOs), but the former IBF junior welterweight champion withdrew from their 10-rounder after suffering a rib injury while sparring late in June.

Zepeda and Baranchyk were contracted to fight at the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds. The contract weight was increased to 144 pounds to accommodate Castaneda because he took the fight on such short notice.

Castaneda clearly needed a knockout to win in the final round, but he couldn’t catch Zepeda with a flush shot to change the course of their fight.

A left by Zepeda moved Castaneda into the ropes with two minutes left in the ninth round. Referee Tony Weeks temporarily stopped the action with 1:31 to go in the ninth round so that the tape on Castaneda’s right glove could be fixed.

Zepeda landed various power punches in the final minute of the ninth round.

Zepeda’s straight left backed up Castaneda with 30 seconds to go in the eighth round. Castaneda landed a right-left combination to Zepeda’s body toward the end of the eighth round.

Castaneda kept coming forward and had some success in the seventh round. His left cross caught Zepeda cleanly with about 35 seconds remaining in the seventh round.

Zepeda stung Castaneda with a right hook early in the sixth round. Castaneda connected with a hard left to Zepeda’s body with about a minute remaining in the sixth round.

Zepeda quickly caught Castaneda with a right hook approximately 45 seconds into the fifth round. Castaneda continued trying to attack Zepeda from a southpaw stance, but he had little success in those three minutes.

A left uppercut by Zepeda snapped back Castaneda’s head just before the midway mark of the fourth round. That shot made Castaneda move away from Zepeda.

Zepeda caught Castaneda with a right hook and then a straight left hand in the final minute of the third round. Another straight left by Zepeda stung Castaneda later in the third.

A right hook by Zepeda connected with just under a minute to go in the second round. Zepeda lunged and landed another right hand just before the second round concluded.

Zepeda landed several straight left hands in the first half of the opening round. Castaneda briefly switched to a southpaw stance to counteract Zepeda’s success.

His victory Tuesday night keeps Zepeda at least in contention for another title shot.

Zepeda is the WBC’s third-ranked challenger and the WBO’s fourth-rated contender for Jose Ramirez’s 140-pound championships. Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) edged Zepeda by majority decision in their 12-round fight for Ramirez’s WBC super lightweight title in February 2019 in Fresno, California, near Ramirez’s hometown of Avenal.

Zepeda told BS.com before beating Castaneda that he feels he did enough to upset Ramirez and hopes to secure a rematch.

Ramirez is expected to make a mandated defense of his WBC title versus Ukraine’s Viktor Postol (31-2, 12 KOs) on an undetermined date in August. Their fight has been postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Keith Idec

Luis Alberto Lopez Rocks, Shocks Andy Vences With Split Decision

Andy Vences valiantly withstood serious trouble in the sixth round Tuesday night and later battled through a bad cut over his left eye.

It still wasn’t enough to beat Luis Alberto Lopez.

Lopez upset Vences by split decision in their 10-round, 130-pound fight at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Judge Max De Luca scored the fight for Vences, 96-94, but judges Tim Cheatham (96-94) and Eric Cheek (96-94) scored their highly competitive clash for Lopez.

ESPN televised Lopez’s upset as part of the Jose Zepeda-Kendo Castaneda undercard.

The 26-year-old Lopez, of Mexicali, Mexico, improved to 21-2 (11 KOs).

“I felt I won the fight with my pressure,” Lopez said. “It was a close fight, but I was confident I did enough after the final bell sounded. Credit to Vences. I thought he was knocked out earlier in the fight, but he came back like a warrior.”

The 29-year-old Vences (23-2-1, 12 KOs), of San Jose, California, lost for the second time in three fights.

“I thought I won a close fight,” Vences said, “but I am not gonna complain about the decision. It was a good, close fight. No excuses. I prepared well for 10 hard rounds.”

CompuBox credited Lopez for landing eight more punches overall than Vences (170-of-656 to 162-of-580). According to CompuBox’s unofficial stats, Lopez landed more power punches (130-of-415 to 111-of-307), but fewer jabs than Vences (51-of-273 to 40-of-241).

Vences continued to bleed badly from a deep gash above his left eye throughout the 10th and final round. He seemed to have regained control of their bout by then, but Cheatham and Cheek preferred Lopez’s work.

Vences’ right hand landed with just under 50 seconds to go in the ninth round. Vences missed wildly with other power punches toward to the end of that ninth round.

Lopez’s right hand moved Vences backward 1:10 into the eighth round. A counter left hook by Vences connected with just under a minute to go in the eighth round.

Another accidental clash of heads opened a cut over Vences’ left eye early in the seventh round. Bayless called for a brief break in the action, which allowed a ringside doctor to look at Vences’ cut.

A reinvigorated Vences landed several power punches toward the end of the seventh round.

Lopez’s right uppercut rocked Vences 30 seconds into the sixth round. Vences quickly tried to hold Lopez, but he was buzzed.

With just under two minutes to go in the sixth round, Bayless warned Vences for hitting Lopez low. Vences, obviously hurt and bleeding from his mouth, did his best to fend off Lopez and commendably made it to the end of a one-sided sixth round.

A short left hand inside by Lopez knocked Vences off balance about 50 seconds into the fifth round. A hard clash of heads created a cut above Lopez’s right eye and a laceration on Vences’ forehead with about 1:20 to go in the fifth round.

Vences worked well off his jab throughout the fourth round and occasionally landed counter right hands. With just under a minute to go in the third round, Vences caught Lopez with a right hand in an exchange, as Lopez was backed against the ropes.

Vences and Lopez took turns landing jabs in the first half of the second round. Vences connected with a short right hand toward the end of the second round.

Lopez landed several jabs in the first round, in which Vences was the aggressor.

Zepeda vs Baranchyk would be very interesting match. Looking forward to it

Top Rank Boxing on ESPN Tuesday night drew 318,000 viewers according to Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily.

The event featured Jose Zepeda and Kendo Castaneda with Zepeda getting the Unanimous Decision from the MGM Grand Bubble in Las Vegas.

After nine events upon its return to live action the average on ESPN is 330,000 viewers.