Puerto Rican hope Jaycob Bradley Gomez Zayas is now 9-0-1 (6 KOs) after a dazzling but hard-fought fifth-round stoppage over Las Vegas Ezequiel Borrero, who lost for the first time and is now 6-1 (2 KOs).
Zayas scored a big knockdown in the first round and arguably scored another in the second before applying the finishing touches in the fifth of an all-southpaw eight-rounder. The time of the stoppage was 1-40.
In the YouTube opener on the ProBox TV card at the White Sands Events Center in Plant City, Zayas crashed over a big overhand left that caused Borrero to drop uncomfortably with his right arm crumpled beneath him in the first round that, frankly, Borrero did well to recover from.
Borrero was trying to bomb back just to keep Zayas off him but he was leaving himself open and clipped by a right hand as the clackers sounded to signal 10 seconds remaining in the round.
A right hook shook Borrero to his boots in the second but he didn’t cave, at first, but Borrero touched down moments later as Zayas followed up but it was ruled a slip. There was not much between them but Zayas had the extra pop in his punches, had some extra polish on his combinations, and was defensively tighter.
He also backed Borrero up and forced him to clinch for the first time at the bell to close the third.
Borrero, far from short on courage, was more elusive in the fourth but still trying to win. It was gritty, although the points deficit had to be getting wider. Zayas was impressing and banking rounds, even though he was being made to work.
Then, in the fifth, the end came and it was not altogether unexpected. Zayas scored with a long, left hand, forced Borrero to back up, and with Borrero on the ropes, Zayas pounced. Zayas attacked with both hands and landed some jarring blows forcing the timely referee’s intervention.
