GRADES: WILLIAM ZEPEDA, JAIME ARBOLEDA, VICTOR MORALES, DIEGO DE LA HOYA & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

Certainly wasn't the busiest weekend, but we did have a few decent scraps nonetheless -- or stoppages, at least.

In the main event on Saturday in Arlington, Texas, and live on DAZN, William Zepeda easily took out Jaime Arboleda. In similar destructive fashion, Victor Morales upset Diego De La Hoya in the co-featured bout of the evening.

So, without much more ado, let's hand out these Grades.

WILLIAM ZEPEDA: B+
RESULT: DEF. JAIME ARBOLEDA, 2KO (LIGHTWEIGHT)

In some respects, William Zepeda's win over Jaime Arboleda gave us a glimpse of what to expect for the former while he campaigns at 135 pounds.

For the most part, Zepeda will look dominant against most fighters in the division and will overwhelm them. We saw that on the night for sure.

On the other hand, when Arboleda was able to move and give some angles (granted, not very often), Zepeda would commit a bit too much and was even turned around.

Against the boxers like Shakur Stevenson or Devin Haney at Lightweight, some of those flaws might be harder to overcome thna when in against Arboleda. Still, a dominant performance deserves a high mark.

JAIME ARBOLEDA: D
RESULT: LOSS TO WILLIAM ZEPEDA, 2KO (LIGHTWEIGHT)

Other than a couple of clean shots in the first round against William Zepeda, Jaime Arboleda had just about as bad a night as he's ever had as a professional.

Virtually anytime Arboleda has stepped up as a professional, he has been stopped. This was no exception to that apparent rule.

Now, having fallen short three times in less than 25 total bouts, one expects he might just be about finished with any semi major names the sport might provide.

VICTOR MORALES: A-
RESULT: DEF. DIEGO DE LA HOYA, 2KO (FEATHERWEIGHT)

In perhaps the performance of the the weekend, 2-1 underdog Victor Morales stopped Diego De La Hoya inside of two frames in the co-featured bout on the William Zepeda vs. Jaime Arboleda card.

And it wasn't just some fluke shot that caught De La Hoya off guard. It was a come from behind blow that Morales bailed himself out with in the final rounds. No, he was well in control for as long as the fight lasted (which, wasn't long).

Morales was in control, was winning the fire fights and acted like he was the one that deserved to be there from start to finish. And Victor rewarded himself with the biggest win of his career. Good for him.

DIEGO DE LA HOYA: D
RESULT: LOSS TO VICTOR MORALES, 2KO (FEATHERWEIGHT)

At the age of 28, Diego De La Hoya had about the worst night of his career on Saturday, suffering a shock loss to underdog Victor Morales inside of two rounds.

Losing isn't the biggest problem, though, it damn sure didn't help. It's that it's De La Hoya's second loss -- and it happened the second time he faced someone that might pose some resistence.

When challenged with someone that has some ability, De La Hoya just doesn't seem to cut it. This isn't to be mean or dismissive of his efforts, he simple doesn't seem to have the special stuff of relative and promoter Oscar De La Hoya.

In fact, he doesn't seem to have much of anything needed to excel at or near the top of the sport.
 

DAVID STEVENS: C
RESULT: DEF. MARCO PERIBAN, 8UD (SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT)

David Stevens is what he is.

If you're looking for a come-forward brawler that will give his all and is willing to engage, the undefeated Stevens fits the bill. If you're looking for an always-dynamic superstar in the making, you might be disappointed.

Against a faded Marco Periban, a fighter that always faced his own limitations even at his best, Stevens seemed stunted at times, and was even was dropped momentarily in the third. While he clearly won the fight, it wasn't the best of performance.

It's an average grade for an average (or maybe even a bit less) performance.

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