Jose Zepeda shuts out Neeraj Goyat to bounce back from Prograis loss
Junior welterweight contender Jose Zepeda defeated Neeraj Goyat Saturday night at the Domo de la Feria in Guadalajara, Mexico.
All three judges scored the bout 100-90 for Zepeda, who improved to 36-3, 27 KOs and is currently No. 6 at 140 pounds by The Ring.
Zepeda, who splits his time between Mexicali, Mexico and La Puente, California, was the more-effective fighter for most of the fight. As the bout progressed, Goyat spent part of the fight clowning around, stretching his arms out after Zepeda connected with a punch or a combination to the head.
Goyat did connect with an occasional punch or two, but never put Zepeda in any danger, who was content to connect from distance and outbox Goyat.
The 33-year-old Zepeda, who is now trained by former multiple-division world champion Erik Morales, was fighting for the first time since November 26, when he stopped by Regis Prograis, who won the vacant WBC world junior welterweight title with the win over Zepeda.
Goyat, who resides in Chandigarh, India, falls to 17-4-2, 7 KOs. The 31-year-old had won his previous eight bouts.
Fringe junior middleweight contender Carlos Ocampo (35-2, 23 KOs) returned to action, stopping overmatched Mauricio Gutierrez of San Luis Potosi.
Fighting Saturday as a middleweight, Ocampo landed the more-accurate punches. Gutierrez (7-2 1 NC, 5 KOs) was game, and did well in spots, but was not able to keep Ocampo off of him. Gutierrez decided to not answer the bell at the start round 5.
Ocampo, who resides in Ensenada, Mexico, last fought on October 8, losing by unanimous decision to contender Sebastian Fundora. Ocampo challenged IBF world welterweight titleholder Errol Spence in June 2016, losing by knockout to Spence.
In featherweight action, Rafael Espinoza of Guadalajara stopped Rafael Rosas in the third round.
Espinoza, who improved to 20-0, 17 KOs, battered Rosas with uppercuts to the head and punches to the body. Referee Miguel Rivera saw enough and stopped the fight at 2:44 of the third round.
Rosas, a resident of Mazatlan, Mexico, falls to 18-3-2, 10 KOs.
Super middleweight Aaron Silva of Monterrey, Mexico battered Jaime Hernandez, winning by knockout in the fourth round.
Silva, who recently signed a promotional deal with Golden Boy Promotions, dropped Hernandez with a combination to the head. Hernandez staggered back to his feet, moving towards his corner, prompting referee Manuel Rivera to stop the fight at 2:47.
Hernandez, who resides in Aguascalientes, Mexico, falls to 10-9, 4 KOs and has now lost seven of his last eight bouts.
In the opening bout of the DAZN stream, hard-hitting junior welterweight Diego Torres of nearby Zapopan won by knockout when Jose Segura (5-12, 3 KOs) of Puerto Vallarta did not answer the bell for round 5. Torres improved to 17-0, 16 KOs.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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