Posted on 03/23/2024
By: Sean Crose
It was a thing of beauty, a straight and perfectly thrown shot that landed smack in the midsection of long time contender Jose Zepeda Saturday in Sheffield, England. Rising junior welterweight Dalton Smith appeared almost surprised at the damage he had done as the referee counted out the wounded Zepeda. Smith had landed clean, yes. He had dropped his man, yes. But hurting the gritty Zepeda enough with a body shot to keep him on the canvas through the ten count? It seemed almost too good to be true. Yet true it was as the 16-0 Smith showed his fellow Englishmen in attendance that he was more than just another hype job.
In truth, Zepeda had started off strong in the scheduled 12 round affair. He flicked off his southpaw jab effectively and and was able to land impressively at times, as well. By the fourth round, however, it was clear that things were changing, and that Smith was controlling the tempo of the fight by moving effectively while Zepeda resorted to chasing. Smith had also taken to upping his own input, landing clearly and well on his veteran opponent. Throughout the entire affair, Smith remained in control and unfazed, even when Zepeda was able to land himself.
Although Smith was having the better of it in the fifth, the end came as a surprise. While he had rocked Zepeda moments earlier, the swiftness and effectiveness of that straight right put an abrupt end to things. Smith had entered the ring hoping to impress against Zepeda, who was taking perhaps a last chance at glory after losing several world title attempts. It simply wasn’t mean to be for the now 37-5 Zepeda, for the night belonged to Smith, and the punch that brought matters to their crushing conclusion.