Showtime ran a free 30-day trial in support of the Errol Spence Jr. (27-0) vs. Yordenis Ugas (27-4) welterweight unification. Prior to the start of the PPV, Showtime boxing ran a two-fight card on their network in order to entice those that may be on the fence of ordering the event. Junior welterweight contender Brandon Lee (24-0) went up against the veteran Zachary Ochoa (21-2).
In the opening round, Lee was following Ochoa around but was landing a clean left hook which made Ochoa adjust his defense later in the round. Ochoa was busy with the left jab and landing some straight right hands down the middle. Both men were feeling each other out but having success with their offense.
Photo Credit:Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME
In the second round, Brandun Lee started to find his rhythm a bit with a hard left jab followed by a straight right hand while also mixing in a right uppercut. Ochoa was moving around well but wasn’t landing enough to win the round. Going into round three, Ochoa got back to what was working for him: the left jab and the straight right hand down the middle. Lee started to cut the ring off, which led to him landing the right uppercut and left hook.
Rounds four through eight were more of the same. Zachary Ochoa was moving well but just wasn’t throwing enough punches to catch the eye of the judges. Brandun Lee was being patient with how many punches he threw as he knew the fight would go the distance. After the end of the eighth round, Ochoa’s coach told Zachary to “go for it.”
Ochoa did just that and jumped on Brandun Lee at the start of round nine. He stood in the pocket more and exchanged with Lee, catching Brandun by surprise. Although this round was good for Ochoa, it was “too little, too late” as he had already lost the majority of the rounds before the ninth.
Zachary Ochoa finished the fight strong while landing some clean right hands and left hooks. Brandun Lee knew he wouldn’t score the knockout tonight, so he did just enough to win the last round. The scorecards were read, and the judges had this one 98-92, 99-91 & 99-91, all for the winner, Brandun Lee.
After the fight, Brandun Lee had this to say “I think that only two rounds were close, the seventh and maybe the ninth. It was exactly what I expected. Perhaps I could have performed better, my combinations been a bit sharper, but it was a good fight overall. Fighting at AT&T Stadium was a blessing. Wow, what an experience. It motivates me even more to come back here and be a headliner one day. I want to be a world champion at 140, unify titles, become undisputed and then become a world champ at 147.Much love to Showtime for the opportunity and thanks a million to the fans for the support. See you all next time.”
My Three Cents
Brandun Lee had a step up in competition tonight, and many knew we would see where he was in his progression. Did he get exposed? No, but this was a learning lesson for him, and as he continues to move up in competition, he will need to learn how to make in-ring adjustments because tonight, it seemed like he only had one game plan. Brandun Lee needs to stay as busy as possible and maybe hold off on a title shot until next year.
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