KNOCKOUT! Dalton Smith rips Jose Zepeda with body shot, more highlights

Dalton Smith kept his unbeaten record with a nasty fifth round knockout win over veteran Jose Zepeda, finishing the former world title challenger with a body shot in Sheffield, England.

Smith (16-0, 12 KO) started tentative in the opening round especially, and somewhat into the second, but “slow” starts are nothing new for the 27-year-old hometown favorite, and once he started finding a rhythm and throwing punches, it was Zepeda (37-5, 28 KO) who began to look gradually over-matched and one-dimensional.

The 34-year-old Mexican, who has now lost two straight and his last three fights against relevant opposition, two by stoppage, was relying mainly on his power left hand from the southpaw stance, but Smith started to get that scouted better and Zepeda just wasn’t mixing things up offensively.

Smith began to land more serious blows, but the body shot was pretty much a one-hitter quitter, as Zepeda stayed down for the count. That should pretty much put an end to the idea of Zepeda as a legitimate contender in the 140 lb division, and it gives Smith a solid notch on the belt for where he is career-wise, another test passed and another rung up the ladder.

BODY SHOT SINKS ZEPEDA

It’s all over in round 5! @daltonsmith08 is the new WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/34us77eQh7

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) March 23, 2024

In the chief support, Sandy Ryan pretty well thrashed Terri Harper to retain her WBO welterweight title, with Harper’s corner pulling her from the fight after four rounds that didn’t look like they were going to get any better than they’d been.

Harper (14-2-2, 6 KO) failed to win a world title in a third division with this defeat, having done so prior at 130 and 154. Ryan (7-1-1, 3 KO) just demolished her, really, and Harper’s corner were right to stop the fight, with the fighter not arguing much.

“I respect her massively and she knows that,” Ryan said after the fight. “I just started to put the pressure on and when I could see her fading, I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m taking the back foot here.’”

Jimmy Joe Flint denied Campbell Hatton in the latter’s first regional title attempt, retaining the BBBofC’s Central Area super lightweight title with a decision win on scores of 97-95, 97-94, and 98-92.

Flint improves to 14-1-2 (3 KO), while Hatton falls to 14-1 (5 KO) with his first pro defeat.

“I say well done to Campbell. Listen, no doubt he’ll come again,” Flint said. “Great fighter, young kid, he’ll be back and I can put my life on that. Experience (won the fight).”

“He came on strong in the second half and showed his experience,” Hatton said. “I do think I did enough, but no arguments from me, fair play to him. We just learn, don’t we?”