Yesterday, March 14, in California at the Honda Center in Anaheim, during a boxing card promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions, 29-year-old Puerto Rican southpaw Oscar Collazo — WBA and WBO strawweight world champion and The Ring lineal champion — defended his belts against 23-year-old American challenger Jesus Haro, nicknamed “Chiquito”. The fight was broadcast live on DAZN.
The bout was won by Collazo after six completely one-sided rounds. The fight was stopped by Haro’s corner following a brutal sixth round for the American, who was forced to absorb 45 punches.
Round 1
The fight begins. For three minutes Collazo tries to close the distance, advancing with small steps, showing excellent upper-body movement and a very tight guard. Haro circles along the ropes, throwing range-finding jabs and occasionally trying to counter with the right hand. Not much else happens.
(10-9 Collazo)
Round 2
From the opening seconds Collazo resumes his pursuit. Haro is very reactive, slipping away elegantly and using his jab to keep “El Pupilo” at bay. As the seconds pass, however, the distance between the two visibly shrinks. The impression is that Collazo, who is not throwing many punches, is simply waiting for the right moment to launch his assault on the American stronghold. Haro’s work is nonetheless commendable. Back in his corner for the break, his seconds tell him: “Good round.”
(20-18 Collazo)
Round 3
The same pattern continues as in the first two rounds, but now Collazo begins the demolition work, landing shots to the body and head without rushing. His boxing is calculated, precise and almost surgical.
(30-27 Collazo)
Round 4
Close-range boxing. Collazo steadily carries out his plan: body shots to slow Haro’s mobility. “Chiquito,” however, continues to respond and remains competitive.
(40-36 Collazo)
Round 5
The fight has not yet reached its halfway point, but Haro is already struggling. He has lost his freshness and, when he remains in the pocket and cannot escape to the ropes, he is forced to absorb heavy combinations.
(50-45 Collazo)
Round 6
Collazo lands easily to the head and body. Haro does what he can, but his legs no longer respond. He no longer has the quickness to move off the line of attack, nor the explosiveness to launch actions capable of troubling the champion. By now he is an easy target and cannot continue taking punches like this for another six rounds. It almost looks like a sparring session.
(60-54 Collazo)
Before the seventh round begins, Haro’s corner confers briefly and makes a quick decision: no más.
Now “El Pupilo” looks toward a unification bout and dreams of facing WBC champion Melvin Jerusalem, nicknamed “El Gringo”. The possible fight had already been discussed in recent months, but the plan fell through due to organizational and budget issues. Even the mere possibility of the bout had already ignited Puerto Rican fans and sparked interest in the Philippines, where boxing is almost a religion.
It was precisely Filipino supporters who hoped to see revenge for the defeat their hero suffered against Collazo in 2023, when the two fought for the WBO world title — a bout that definitively established Oscar Manuel “El Pupilo” Collazo as one of the dominant fighters of the division.
Jesus “Chiquito” Haro is still young and has plenty of road ahead of him. Challenging Collazo at this stage of his career was a gamble. In boxing they say: either I win or I learn.
What he learned from this experience will become clear in his next fight.