Unified strawweight world champ Oscar Collazo of Puerto Rico scored a dominant TKO in winning his seventh straight defense Saturday night in Anaheim, CA.
WBO and WBA strawweight champion Oscar Collazo delivered a dominant performance Saturday night in the Golden Boy Promotions co-feature fight in Anaheim, CA. This, as he overwhelmed challenger Jesus Haro before Haro was forced to retire on his stool after the sixth round. The bout preceded the largely dull main event win by Arnold Barboza by 12 round decision over Kenneth Sims.
Back to Collazo. He improved to 14-0 with 11 KOs, while making the seventh successful defense of his titles. The 29-year-old Puerto Rican southpaw was heavily favored and looked physically stronger from the opening bell, as he fought with patience, methodically breaking down Haro opponent rather than rushing for an early finish.
Haro, who is just 23-year-old from Merced, California, started competitively in the first round, but began to fade by the third round as Collazo increased the pressure. The champion focused heavily on the body, digging in sharp hooks that gradually slowed Haro’s movement and sapped his energy.
By the fifth round the damage was evident. Haro, who entered the fight with a 13-3 record and only two knockouts, looked visibly exhausted. And, the veteran champion Collazo continued to target his midsection with punishing combinations. The champion maintained a steady pace, mixing in occasional head shots but consistently returning to the body.
Collazo pressed the attack again in the sixth round, landing several more thudding body shots. When the round ended, Haro returned to his corner breathing heavily and obviously hurting. So, his team signaled to referee Thomas Taylor that their fighter would not continue into the seventh round.
“He came just to survive,” Collazo said in the ring after the fight. “The body shots were taking effect by the fifth round. I knew sooner or later I would get the stoppage.”
Collazo added that he knew the end was near after the fourth round. “Around the fourth and fifth rounds I landed a couple of hard body shots. When I looked over and saw how heavily he was breathing, I knew it was time to step on the gas.”
The bout had originally been expected to precede a three-belt unification fight with WBC champion Melvin Jerusalem. Collazo previously stopped Jerusalem in seven rounds in 2023 to capture the WBO title. Collazo hopes the rematch can still be arranged as he continues his pursuit of becoming the undisputed champion at 105 lb.
As for the Californian Barboza, he was the better fighter, but was far from spectacular in the 147 lb. contender bout with Sims. And, he cruised, using a steady diet of jabs and occasional combos to pile up the rounds, save for a nasty clash of heads in the 11th round. He secure a unanimous decision victory by scores of 120-108, 118-110 and 117-111.
The 34 year old Barboza improved to 33-1, 11 KOs. with the win. As for the Chicago based fighter Sims, he drops to, 22-3-1, 8 KOs,
“That was a tough fight. I went through a little bit of a dark moment there, but I pushed through it. People were asking me before the fight, saying I had fallen off or that I wasn’t the same fighter anymore. But tonight I showed that I’m still here," said Arnold Barboza Jr. "Fighting at 147 made a big difference for me. I
’m telling you, I even had a steak on Tuesday — something I couldn’t normally do before. My body just felt stronger and more energized. Credit to my strength and conditioning coach and the work we’ve been putting in during training camp. I felt like I could have gone another 10 rounds if I had to.
"Sims is a very smart fighter. We expected it to be a chess match, and it was. But it came down to preparation. My dad and I put in a lot of hard work. We isolate ourselves in camp, away from family. I even missed my daughter’s birthday on the 10th. Those are sacrifices that come with the sport. Moments like tonight make it feel worth it."
Barboza would like to get into the title picture at welterweight later in 2026, but is probably another significant win away from that happening.
The two other important bouts on the Golden Boy card saw welterweight Alexis Rocha, now 26-2-1, 16 KOs, defeat former 130 lb. world champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz 34-9-1, 15 KOs, in a 10-round decision by scores of 97-93, 98-92 and 100-90.
And, impressively, the undisputed women's flyweight world champion Gabriela “Sweet Poison” Fundora upped her recrd to 18-0, 10 KOs, as she successfully defended her titles against Australia-based Colombian WBA interim champ, Viviana Ruiz Corredor, now 10-3, 5 KOs. Fundora, who's arguably the hardest punching small weight female fighter in women's boxing displayed her power and control throughout the fight, scoring a fourth-round knockdown before securing the stoppage at 1:25 of the sixth round.