Jose Pedraza W10 Mikkel LesPierre... Puerto Rico's Jose Pedraza, a former world title holder at 130 and 135 pound, continued his quest for a world title at 140 pounds. Pedraza, from Cidra, Puerto Rico, toppled Mikkel LesPierre via unanimous decision Thursday night in a junior welterweight bout held in Las Vegas. Pedraza and LesPierre were scheduled to fight June 18th, but the bout was postponed after LesPierre's manager tested positive for COVID-19. Pedraza returned to the MGM Grand "Bubble" in fine form, blunting his southpaw opponent's offense. [At one point, Boxingtalk counted 66 unanswered punches from Pedraza as LesPierre covered up against the ropes]. Pedraza (27-3, 13 KOs) knocked down LesPierre (22-2-1, 10 KOs) in the fifth round and showed his class down the home stretch. Another knockdown the tenth was the exclamation point.

 

[Pierre, a health care worker in New York City, where all the gyms are closed due to the coronviarus pandemic, had to train for this bout in New York City parks with no real sparring. He deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the effort and will power he exerted.]

 

For Pedraza, it was a much-needed win, as he was coming off a decision loss to Jose Zepeda last September. “Mikkel was a tough opponent, but I stuck to my game plan. I wanted the knockout, but he stayed strong in there. I give him a lot of credit," Pedraza said. “I would like to fight any of the world champions, but we have to see what happens next. I proved I belong with the top guys in the 140-pound division.” source: top rank