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March Title Fight Recaps Cont.
IBF Flyweight Title Fight: Michael Carbajal (4-0, 3 KO) vs Hilario Zapata (3-1, 1 KO)
Many felt Zapata would present a more difficult matchup for Carbajal than his eventual championship tournament foe, Myung-Woo Yuh, who won a narrow, majority decision over a stunningly out of shape Zapata in the semifinal. So boxing writers were quick to give credit to Carbajal for being quickly willing to face Zapata, an intriguing stylistic matchup, as well. Carbajal starts off well, cutting off the ring on Zapata who is showing less movement than anticipated. But in the second, Zapata shows the hit and run tactics most anticipated, and many felt could give Carbajal problems. Zapata wasn't going to stand in and trade with him, so if Carbajal wanted to unload, he'd have to do the chasing. Carbajal is effective again in the third, doing a better job of cutting off the ring on Zapata, and forcing him into exchanges Zapata couldn't hope to win.
Carbajal is after Zapata again in the fourth, and Zapata is back on his bike. Carbajal is throwing a truckload of punches, but is having a hard time finding the mark, and Zapata counterpunches brilliantly while staying clear of damage. Rounds 5 and 6 see Carbajal getting increasingly frustrated as Zapata is landing well with sporadic flurries and a good jab, but escapes without letting Carbajal ever land more than a shot at a time. Carbajal's shots have more sting, but they are landing so rarely there's no cumulative effect, and Carbajal and his corner know it.
Zapata is handling round 7 until late, when Carbajal catches him with a cross and gets him in a corner. But even there, with an onslaught from Carbajal, the vast majority of his blows are blocked or slipped, and Zapata emerges the round unscathed.
The 8th is even and thoroughly uneventful. Carbajal is the aggressor, but he's missing so many blows that he looks bad, like he's being outclassed. And Zapata is landing enough and at a high enough clip that he can't be accused of running.
Twice in the 9th, Carbajal grabs hold of Zapata and wrestles him, desperately trying to keep him in reach. The round is Carbajal's, but he has yet to hurt Zapata or put him in any kind of danger.
Danger happens in the 10th, though, when Carbajal lands his biggest blow of the fight, a counter right cross the buckles Zapata. The follow up body shot puts Zapata to his knees. Zapata rises at 8, and survives the final 20 seconds of the round. The key is seeing if this was Carbajal's breakthrough.
Zapata regroups in the 11th and keeps Carbajal at bay, again sticking and moving, dodging and weaving. He's ripping Carbajal from outside with jabs at will in the 12th before Carbajal bulls his way inside and works the body again. the round ends evenly, but it's the last time Carbajal has Zapata in any semblance of trouble.
Zapata just sticks to the gameplan for the final three rounds, dominating the 13th and 14th - throwing and landing his highest volume of shots in the fight -before taking the 15th off, letting Carbajal land a couple of single straight rights that win the round for Carbajal, content just to stay out of danger.
Zapata carried out his gameplan brilliantly, but it's a gameplan that those who feel you need to attack and take a belt from a champion may find fault with. The judges rule unanimously...
145-140....
144-141....
143-142....
for the winner....
and NEW IBF Flyweight Champion of the World, HILARIO ZAPATA!!!!
Carbajal will be given a rematch, probably sometime during the summer.
Hilario Zapata UD 15 Michael Carbajal
More to come....
GH
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