The Bloodiest Round of 2018

Round of the year? #SaucedoZappavigna pic.twitter.com/bs4CRZ9xOy

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) July 1, 2018

Alex “El Cholo” Saucedo vs. Leonardo “Lenny Z.” Zappavigna had all the ingredients necessary for a recipe for disaster from the get-go.  On the one hand, you have a young, talented, undefeated WBA-NABA champion, with a speed, height and reach advantage, along with a lighting fast left hand that will hit you from multiple angles, and on the other, a seasoned veteran looking at the fight as an important stepping stone to a future title opportunity. Unfortunately for Lenny Z., the wisdom and experience of his forty fight professional career also bears certain scars-scar tissue that is.  From the opening bell, the left hand of Saucedo became like a heat seeking missile intent on finding that scar tissue, and pummeling it into pulp. 

     However, Lenny Z. was not going down without a fight.  Z stood toe-to-toe with El Cholo and fired back with both hands until the very end.  For about two minutes in round four, after being dropped in the third, Lenny Z fought like a man possessed, throwing combination after combination and doing some damage of his own.  But Saucedo kept working the cut opened up on Lenny Z.’s right eye.  And working that cut meant more blood being spewed around the ring, on both fighters and even the ESPN camera, than is seen on your average episode of Game of Thrones. 

     There is talk of Fight of the Year as well as Round of the Year for the fourth round bloodbath.  The non-stop action along with the enthusiasm of Saucedo’s hometown Oklahoma crowd exceeded our expectations here at The Fighting News. Great show by both athletes.         

By Matt Benoliel, The Fighting News Reporter