Brandon Figueroa and Julio Ceja go to war!
You want a brawl?! Well WBA regular super bantamweight champion Brandon Figueroa (20-0-1, 15KO) and #8 ranked contender Julio Ceja (32-4-1, 28KO) wanted one too!
Ceja showed up at the weight-in four pounds over-weight. As a result, the challenger would be in this fight just to get in a twelve rounder as the title would no longer be available for him to win.
It was obvious the challenger would enter the ring trying to bully the champion. Figueroa had the height and reach advantage, but he is brawler at heart. This made it easier for Ceja to draw him into the kind of fight he was looking for!
From the moment the bell rang, it was all action as both combatants came out with bad intentions. Figueroa, known as a tremendous body puncher, quickly went to work downstairs trying to establish his presence as the bigger man. That wouldn’t deter Ceja, who is a big puncher like in his own right.
He also displayed his body attack in round 2 as he just repeatedly ripped left and right hooks to the body. Rounds three and four went in the favor of the WBA champion as he hurt Ceja numerous times to the body and head.
Rounds 5-8
The seesaw-action would continue as the excitement of a punishing fight would swing back into the favor of Ceja. He continued to unload punches to the head and body of Figueroa. Ceja appeared to sweep the middle rounds with his activity and more effective shots.
Rounds 8-12
Ceja kept up the work rate as he continued to punish Figueroa, who refused to back down and came back with his own offensive attack. Rounds 11 and 12 were crucial for both men as this was a hotly contested fight from beginning to end. Round 12 proved to be the key in Figueroa keeping his unbeaten record intact.
At the end, the judges were split. One scored it 115-113 for Figueroa, one 116-112 for Ceja, and lastly 114-114, ending in a split draw.
By: Jerrell Fletcher
