Oscar Collazo vs Gerardo Zapata Preview June 7th, 2024
Unbeaten Oscar Collazo of Newark, New Jersey defends his 105 lb WBO Minimumweight (Strawweight)World Title for the third time this Friday, June 7th when he takes on Gerardo Zapata of Nicaragua. The 12-rounder from Verona, New York, can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Collazo defended the belt for the first time last August when he stopped Garen Diagan after six rounds after winning the title just three months earlier when he halted Melvin Jerusalem after seven rounds. His last bout was a third-round TKO over Reyneris Gutierrez in January. Zapata last saw action in August when he battled to a 10-round draw with Azael Villar in a shot at the vacant WBA Fedecentro Light Flyweight Title.
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Collazo vs Zapata Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Gerardo Zapata +1600
- Oscar Collazo -5000
My Pick
The 27-year-old Collazo is a southpaw who resides in Puerto Rico and has 47 rounds of experience to his name since making his pro debut in 2020 following a fine seven-year amateur career which saw him win five national amateur titles as well as a bronze medal the 2017 PanAmerican Championships and a gold disc at the 2019 Pan American Games. He’s gone a perfect 9-0 as a pro with 7 Ko’s and stands 5-feet-2-inches tall with a 61-inch reach.
Collazo won the vacant WBO Latino Minimumweight title in his fourth pro outing when he halted Pedro Villegas in the third round and captured the world title in his seventh fight with the stoppage of Jerusalem. Collazo has heavy hands for such a small boxer as his current knockout ratio stands at 77.8 per cent. The only two men to go the distance with him have been Francisco Zambrano over six rounds in 2021 and Vic Saludar over 12 rounds in July, 2022 with both boxers hitting the deck in the seventh round in that contest.
Zapata is 29-years-old with a mark of 14-1-1 with 5 Ko’s and has boxed 83 rounds since making his pro debut in 2018 following his amateur career. He measures 5-feet-5-inches tall but unfortunately has an unlisted reach so is three inches taller than Collazo and is also a southpaw. As far as power is concerned, Zapata doesn’t possess much of a bang in his punches as just 35.7 per cent of his victories have been by stoppage and his last eight wins have gone the distance.
His lone pro defeat came at the hands of Rene Santiago by way of second-round disqualification in December, 2022 in a shot at the WBO Latino Light Flyweight Belt. He’s now winless in his last two outings as his last contest was the draw with Villar in August. Zapata’s biggest wins have come over the likes of Daniel Mendoza, Julio Mendoza, Bryan Castellon and Hector Herrera. Just nine of his 16 opponents have entered the ring with a winning record.
Prediction…
This fight comes down the the hard-hitting Collazo against the light-hitting Zapata. Although Collazo has been dropped before I just don’t think Zapata has the power to do any damage and it will likely just be a matter of time before Collazo walks through him and stops him. The champion is a heavy favourite here and the best bet is to take him by stoppage.
Zapata lacks the power to keep Collazo off of him.
Play: Collazo -5000 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Gerardo Zapata betting • Oscar Collazo betting