Robson Conceição knocked down Jose Guardado twice en route to a seventh-round stoppage Saturday at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, on the undercard of the Jared Anderson–Ryad Merhy heavyweight headliner.
Conceição (18-2-1, 9 KOs) was in control from the beginning, landing big shots at will and showing little regard for his opponent’s power.
Through six rounds, it seemed that the only thing Conceição lacked was the pop to finish off Guardado (15-2-1, 5 KOs). In the fourth, Guardado, from Ensenada, Mexico, landed a couple good body shots, but he never enjoyed a period of sustained success.
Then, in the seventh, Conceição landed an almighty left hand to Guardado’s liver. Guardado crumpled, somehow making it up at the count of nine. But he was in full retreat immediately after the bout resumed, and another knockdown brought about a technical knockout.
Conceição, from Bahia, Brazil, is 35 and coming off a war with Emanuel Navarrete. Fighting in one of boxing’s lower weight divisions, it would stand to reason if Conceição were declining. On Saturday, though, he appeared several classes above Guardado. He may well have enough left to get another shot at a title.