Former two division world champion Jose Pedraza of Puerto Rico has sets his sights on a future title fight at 140 pounds.
Pedraza was more than pleased with his performance against Mikkel LesPierre, from this past Thursday night, and is confident that it will be the letter of introduction that will lead him to a major fight in the junior welterweight division before the end of 2020.
The Puerto Rican boxer beat LesPierre with a wide unanimous decision, in a headline fight of an ESPN televised card from the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I worked on what I wanted, what we practiced during training. I followed the instructions from my corner, so I loved my performance," Pedraza told Carlos Gonzalez.
Pedraza dropped LesPierre in the fifth round, but he himself also went down in the same round - a knockdown that was overturned after the referee watched the fall on instant replay.
“I blocked the punch with my glove, but I lost balance with his foot. I stayed calm thanks to the corner and concentrated on what I had to do. It was a weird moment because I didn't know they had instant replay. When the referee left the ring I thought they were going to leave us to fight on our own," Pedraza said.
Following that incident, Pedraza maintained control of the fight. In the tenth round, a second knockdown was scored by Pedraza to seal the deal on the victory.
“I entered the conversation for a world title and understand that I got a little closer to the opportunity. My body is better adapted to 140 pounds, I lacked a little more muscle mass, which is what I was looking for without losing any agility. I did well and I hope to fight again in about two months," Pedraza said.
