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Jose Pedraza has officially settled in as a junior welterweight.
The former two-division titlist picked up his second straight win at the weight, the latest coming in a lopsided unanimous decision win over Javier Molina.
Pedraza won by scores of 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91 on the respective cards of judges Julie Lederman, Patricia Morse-Jarman and Tim Cheatham in their battle of 2008 Olympians saw Saturday evening at The Bubble in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pedraza constantly boxed on his toes in the early going, with the traditionally counterpunching Molina waiting for opportunities to respond. Pedraza controlled the pace, pumping his jab and disallowing Molian the opportunity to let his hands go with constant in-and-out movement.
Molina began to physically run into issues in round two, which saw swelling develop under his left eye. Referee Russell Mora informed the ringside officials that it was the result of a punch, with Pedraza attempting to target the wound. More issues surfaced for Molina, who was on the receiving end of several headbutts—though all unintentional (or at least ruled as such).
One such clash of heads left Molina with a deep vertical cut along his nose and just outside of his left eye. Pedraza continued to come forward, looking to pump his jab but instead headbutting Molina twice more in round three.
Pedraza found his rhythm in round four, coming forward and shooting his left before getting out of harm’s way before Molina could even reset his feet. Molina walked straight in, following around Pedraza who switched over to southpaw where he was landing in combination while also scoring with left hooks to the body.
Both boxers fought through the sight of their own blood at the start of the second half. Molina’s corner—aided by assigned cut man Mike “The Mechanic” Bazzel—managed to keep his cut under control, although he was rapidly approaching desperation territory after losing most if not all of the preceding rounds.
Meanwhile, Pedraza remained calm even in fighting through a bloodied nose. The former two-division titlist thoroughly outworked Molina, whose mandate in round six was to double up on his right hand and walk down his Puerto Rican foe. A brief reflection of those instructions came midway through the round though with little success.
Pedraza was instructed to slow things down in round seven and save up for a big finish. Ever the technician, he saw an opening and took it in the form of a right hook from the southpaw stance. Molina was briefly wobbled along the ropes, but quickly recovered even in absorbing power shots in an ensuing volley.
Round eight saw Pedraza touch the body in effort to draw down Molina’s guard. When the opening didn’t provide itself, Pedraza settled for an overhand left which found its mark. Molina remained upright, though on the defensive as Pedraza intensified his attack, scoring with a left hand and right hook downstairs.
Molina was informed by his corner prior to the start of round nine that he needed a knockout to win. Pedraza was never going to allow that to materialize, reverting to straight boxing in round nine. A steady jab was finding its mark, as were straight left hands behind it. Pedraza continued to employ lateral movement to avoid even the threat of an incoming attack.
Pedraza sought to close the show in the 10th and final round. With the outcome never in doubt, the 31-year old Boricua had a knockout in his sights. A straight left hand caught Molina flush, driving him into the ropes with less than a minute to go. Pedraza continued to let his hands go, but settled for a landslide decision win.
A four fight win streak comes to a close for Molina, who falls to 22-3 (9KOs).
Jose Pedraza advances to 28-3 (13KOs) with the win, his second straight after a 10-round decision defeat to Jose Zepeda last September.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox