Arnold Barboza Jr. made a successful welterweight debut by outpointing Kenneth Sims Jr. over twelve rounds at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
The former super lightweight contender controlled long stretches of the DAZN main event and stayed composed after a clash of heads in the eleventh round to secure a unanimous decision.
Judges scored the fight 120-108, 118-110, and 117-111 as Barboza began life at 147 pounds with an important title win.
“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.
Continued Barboza, “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.
“Kenneth 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.”
Sims accepted defeat afterward and said he would likely return to the 140-pound division.
“Yeah, the scores were crazy, but the score doesn’t matter now. I didn’t win the fight. It’s cool though. I’m a 140-pounder, so I’ll go back to where I’m best at,” said Kenneth Sims Jr.
“I’ve got to get better. Get better, do better, be smarter. It comes with the territory. I’ve been doing this my whole life, so I know this feeling and I know how to deal with it.”
Rocha Defeats Diaz
Alexis Rocha added another win to his record with a unanimous decision over former world champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. in a ten-round contest.
Rocha was rewarded on the cards by scores of 97-93, 98-92, and 100-90.
Fundora Retains Undisputed Title
WBN Women’s Fighter of the Year 2025, Gabriela Fundora, kept hold of her undisputed flyweight championship after forcing a stoppage of Viviana Ruiz Corredor in round six.
Fundora dropped the challenger in the fourth before closing the show at 1:25 of the sixth.
Collazo Defends Unified Belts
Oscar Collazo retained his unified WBA, and WBO minimumweight titles with a sixth-round stoppage of Jesus Haro.
Haro’s corner ended the contest after six rounds as the Puerto Rican champion remained firmly in control.
Other Results
• Joel Iriarte moved to 10-0 with nine knockouts by stopping Rock Myrthil at 2:35 of the sixth round.
• Grant Flores stayed unbeaten with an eight-round points win over Rashid Stevens after scoring knockdowns in rounds one and eight.
• Cayden Griffiths scored a first-round knockout of Omar Munguia at 2:09.
• Fabian Guzman defeated Julian Delgado by unanimous decision over eight rounds.
• Daniel Garcia stopped Blas Caro in the second round at 2:45.
• Leonardo Sanchez opened the show by forcing a second-round stoppage of Cesar Juarez when Juarez’s corner threw in the towel.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.
