Alex Saucedo Overpowers Sonny Fredrickson!
All action puncher and former world title challenger Alex “El Cholo” Saucedo (29-1, 19KOs) came out guns blazing against in Sonny Fredrickson (21-2, 14KOs) in his 2020 return. Similar to how junior welterweight prospect Josue Vargas dominated his foe in the co-main event, Saucedo slide to victory with relative ease!
Round one saw the Oklahoma native come out immediately pressing the action as he pumped his jab and forced Fredrickson back onto the ropes. Once there, Saucedo would unload powerful combination looking to get a quick knockout win.
With about a minute left in the opening round, a right hand would hurt and stagger Fredrickson. However, he would keep to his feet and survive what could have been a very short night!
The underdog would get his “day in the ring” by the fourth round. Here, both men gave as good as they got! The taller Fredrickson would start to use his jab which allowed opportunities for uppercuts while Saucedo moved in range. This would be one of few rounds the Ohio native would win as the favorite seemed to lose a bit of steam.
However, success would return for Saucedo. His corner quickly understood how Fredrickson was trying to dictate the pace behind his jab After imploring him to move his head more Saucedo did just that! This resulted in a successful round six. The Oklahoma native found it a bit easier to get around the jab and do damage at close range without taking many shots.
The instructions just kept coming in! Lamar Wright, trainer of Fredrickson lit into his fighter after he continued to retreat to the ropes. “Jab, feint, throw your right hand and stay off the ropes” could be heard before the start of the seventh round.
The last forty-five seconds of round eight was tremendous as both men traded big shots! This resulted in ESPN boxing commentator and former two-division world champion Timothy Bradley to say “the old Saucedo is back!”
In an entertaining fight it was clear who would did more than enough to win. This would be a crucial fight for El Cholo as he continues his pursuit of a second world title opportunity.
The scores read 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 as he picks up the much needed victory. Currently Saucedo is not ranked in the top ten by any of the four major sanctioning bodies but holds a #23 ranking by the WBC.
He has a long way to go, but this victory is a step in the right direction.
By: Jerrell Fletcher
