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Arnold Barboza outpoints Jose Pedraza over 10 rounds

Arnold Barboza Jr. - Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Fighters Network
03
Feb

Junior welterweight contender Arnold Barboza remained unbeaten with a 10-round unanimous decision over former two-division titleholder Jose Pedraza on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.

Barboza (28-0, 10 KOs), The Ring’s No. 6-rated junior welterweight, won by scores of 97-93 and 96-94 (twice) and the ESPN-televised co-feature to Navarrete-Wilson was as competitive as those tallies indicate.

Barboza, a 31-year-old technician from Los Angles, controlled the first half of the bout with savvy mix of lateral movement and sharp shooting. However, the 33-year-old veteran southpaw from Puerto Rico was the aggressor throughout the fight, and his pressure and volume punching enabled him to win rounds over the second half of the bout.

Barboza outlanded Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs) in the majority of rounds, even while punching on the fly. The Californian was more accurate with his jab, straight right and combination punching. The two let it all hang out in the 10th, displaying high-level inside fighting for much of the final round.



Pedraza, who was coming off a draw against Richard Commey last August, is now winless in his last three bouts but the Boricua — who has faced top fighters at 130, 135 and 140 pounds — remains a tough out for anyone.

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