Pedraza v Lozada Recap
Following a loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2018, former Super-Featherweight and Lightweight champion Jose Pedraza needed a defining win to stay in the title picture. He did so against Antonio Lozada tonight at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, FL. Pedraza showed he’s still more than capable as he put on one of finest performances of his career, beating down Lozada en route to a ninth round stoppage
The Breakdown
During the early rounds Pedraza (26-2, 13 KO’s) relied on head and foot movement to set up counterpunches. Despite being a six-foot Lightweight, Lozada (40-3-1, 34 KO’s) is a pressure fighter. He fought to script early on, applying steady pressure looking to land to both the head and body.
The third round saw the switch-hitting Pedraza elect to fight southpaw and stand more in the pocket. It was wise decision on the part of the former two-division world champ. He was able to really find the range landing leads and counters, while using head and upper-body movement to avoid punches.
The class of Pedraza continued in rounds four, five and six as he did an excellent job of slipping and rolling, then countering with straight shots, hooks and uppercuts to the head and body. After another dominant round in the seventh, the Puerto Rican hurt Lozada early in the eighth. The Kissimmee, Florida crowd was on its feet in approval yelling “PEDRAZA! PEDRAZA!”. Pedraza seemingly couldn’t miss with his shots and was in total control.
With :42 seconds to go in round nine, the power of Pedraza surfaced as he put Lozada down by way of a counter left-hand. Sensing that his opponent was in big trouble, Pedraza pounced. A volley of punches further damaged Lozada and referee Telis Assimenios stepped in to call a halt to the fight with :18 to go in the round.
Conclusion
This was the perfect comeback win for the former champion Not only did he win, but he won in sensational fashion. After the fight, Pedraza expressed a desire to win another title at lightweight. Afterwards, he wants to eventually move onward and upward to the super lightweight division.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
