Jose Pedraza is back on the win column and moves one step closer towards his quest for a third world title.
The two-division Puerto Rican champion scored two knockdowns en route to a unanimous decision win against Mikkel LesPierre in the main event of the July 2 Top Rank on ESPN card from Las Vegas. Pedraza won with scores of 100-88, 99-89 and 99-89.
Pedraza dominated the fight from the start, throwing several combinations to LesPierre, who struggled to land anything meaningful. Pedraza's best moment came in the second round when he threw no less than 35 straight punches, nearly landing all of them, as LesPierre went to the ropes, put his hands up and let Pedraza attack without repercussion.
Although he would not be as active as he was in the second round, Pedraza kept landing big shots throughout the fight, scoring knockdowns in the fifth and 10th round. There was some controversy in the fifth as LesPierre knocked Pedraza down to the canvas, but after the round was over, the sixth round got delayed as the referee and the Nevada State Athletic Commission were watching the knockdown on replay. It was ruled that Pedraza tripped and not a knockdown and so LesPierre's knockdown was overturned.
This is Pedraza's first win since moving up to junior welterweight and first win since he beat Antonio Lozada back in May 2019.
Below are the full results of the July 2 Top Rank on ESPN card:
- Jose Pedraza defeated Mikkel LesPierre by unanimous decision (100-88, 99-89, 99-89)
- Robeisy Ramirez defeated Adan Gonzales by unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-54)
- Albert Bell defeated Mark Benaldez by unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 100-90)
- Elvis Rodriguez defeated Danny Murray by KO, round 1
- Kingsley Ibeh defeated Patrick Mailata by majority decision (57-57, 58-56, 58-56)
- Jose Enrique Vivas defeated Carlos Jackson by unanimous decision (97-93, 97-93, 97-93)
Top Rank's next show will take place on July 7 and air on ESPN, headlined by Jose Zepeda vs. Kendo Castaneda.
