Alex Saucedo Outlands Sonny Fredrickson, Wins Via Unanimous Decision

Throughout the broadcast on ESPN, it was discussed that Alex Saucedo was competing in three fights: against his opponent, his old self, and his new self. Inside the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, we saw a mix of old and new from the former title contender.

Saucedo (30-1) would end up beating Sonny Fredrickson (21-3) via unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90, 98-92) in the main event. The 26-year-old would end up landing 318 blows out of 885 thrown shots. Comparing the two, Fredrickson would end up landing 172 punches out of 584 attempted shots.

The junior-welterweight contender proved that he could be on top of the 140-pound division once again. Saucedo gave himself a C+ grade in the bout, but the beginning of the contest saw a solid effort. He was aggressive from the get-go, landing a few hooks and body shots right away. While Fredrickson had the height advantage, it took a while for him to utilize his ability.

“We worked on a lot of things in the gym. It was important for me to get the rounds in, and Sonny was a tough opponent,” Saucedo stated after the fight. “I am ready to take over the 140-pound division. Whatever opportunity comes my way, I will take advantage of it. Most importantly, I got rid of the ring rust and went 10 hard rounds.”

Saucedo would go head-hunting along with combination shots as the fight went on. By the end of two rounds, he landed 49 of 89 power punches. Saucedo would double-down on the head and the body, while Fredrickson would try and come back with some shots on the fly. Whenever Fredrickson would try and go forward, Saucedo would follow and stop all of his momentum.

A new version of Saucedo was shown, both internally and externally. He wasn’t cut early and he stopped head-hunting towards the later rounds. There would be some criticism on his part as it felt like he wasn’t kicking it into high gear. Fredrickson’s lack of advancement helped Saucedo thrive throughout, however.

RINGSIDE VIEW: Saucedo coming out of the gates strong tonight …😬 #SaucedoFredrickson | LIVE on ESPN pic.twitter.com/eu2kT3RWcg

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) July 1, 2020

Fredrickson would end up hitting some solid shots towards the later rounds, but he would end up by the ropes many times. The announcers were trying to will him out of the area, but he was unable to escape his small corner. At certain points he proved he could hang around, hoping to cause an upset. Unfortunately, for him, it was not meant to be.

Saucedo is now on a two-fight win streak. After losing to Maurice Hooker for the WBO Super-Lightweight Title in 2018, his third fight of that year, Saucedo took a year off. His last bout before this one was a knockout-win against Rod Salka.

As far as if he believes he deserves a title shot again, Saucedo was willing to look at his options.

“We’ll see what happens, and what they offer,” Saucedo went on to say. “I feel like I’m ready.”

Fredrickson has now lost two in a row, his last fight taking place in November 2019.

Main Card (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET) 

Alex Saucedo def. Sonny Fredrickson via unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 100-90)

Josue Vargas def. Salvador Briceno via unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90, 100-90)

John Bauza def. Larry Fryers via unanimous decision (79-73, 80-72, 80-72)

Isiah Jones def. Donte Stubbs via majority decision (57-57, 58-56, 59-55)