Cain Sandoval W10 Brandun Lee... In the main card opener of Zuffa Boxing 07 in Las Vegas, Cain Sandoval bounced back from a prior defeat to Julian Rodriguez with a hard-earned majority decision win over Brandun Lee in their ten-round welterweight matchup. Lee entered this but with a record of 30-0. Sandoval’s tactical adjustments and relentless approach proved too much for Lee, who fought hard, but simply had no answer to Sandoval’s determination, particularly through the second half of the fight. Sandoval started out in a noticeably different style from his fight with Rodriguez as he worked from the outside, rather than closing in to fight at close range. Lee, meanwhile, looked relaxed and comfortable as he established his range, utilizing a smart double-jab. After four closely-contested rounds, Sandoval turned up the intensity and boxed a superb fifth round as he returned to the high-pressure approach we saw in the Rodriguez fight.
That approach continued through rounds six and seven as Sandoval repeatedly worked Lee to the body in a bid to break his opponent. And in a fiercely contested eighth round, both men went toe to toe and swung for the fences as Sandoval threatened to overwhelm Lee with shots in a breathless final exchange. That fast pace continued through the final two rounds as both fighters left it all in the ring as they battled all the way to the final bell. When the scorecards were announced, there was a degree of surprise inside the arena at how close the scores were, but there was no controversy as to the victor, as Sandoval claimed scores of 95-95, 96-94, 97-93 to seal his first victory under the Zuffa Boxing banner.
Omar Trinidad W10 Jerwin Ancajas... Featherweight Omar Trinidad claimed the most significant victory of his career to date with a unanimous decision win over former super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas. Trinidad made full use of his physical advantages of height and reach, while Ancajas utilized his marginally superior speed as the pair engaged in a fascinating orthodox-versus-southpaw chess match, with both men scoring with solid, well-timed shots. All three judges scored the ten rounder 97-93 for Trinidad. As the fight moved into the middle rounds, Trinidad’s heavier shots started to slow the former world champion, whose counters still found their mark, but at the higher weight didn’t carry the same fight-altering power they did when he competed at 115 pounds. And in the closing stages of the final round, it looked like Trinidad might just claim a late stoppage when he rocked Ancajas and poured on the pressure in a bid to get the finish. But, with referee Tony Weeks watching closely, Ancajas was allowed to continue, and the Filipino warrior fired back with big shots of his own as the pair stood and traded all the way to the final bell.
In the end, Trinidad’s superior strike rate and heavier work through the second half of the fight proved crucial. The victory moved him to 21-0-2.
