By Jake Donovan

KISSIMMEE, Fla.—However they mean it when referring to him as a slick boxer, Jose Pedraza always accepts the term as a glowing compliment—to the point where he expects to go the distance every time he steps into the ring.

Pure defense didn’t get the job done in his latest fight, a 9th round knockout of Mexico’s Antonio Lozada in their ESPN-televised lightweight battle Saturday evening at Kissimmee’s Osceola Heritage Park. The former two-division titlist from Puerto Rico went to the well in scoring his first stoppage win in five years.

“I wasn’t expecting the knockout, if I’m being honest,” Pedraza (26-2, 13KOs) admitted to BoxingScene.com of how his latest win came about. “It surprised me when it happened. We were ready to go the full ten rounds. But we had to make adjustments and when we did, the knockout was there and we took it.”

Pedraza’s night started off looking to box in rebounding from his lightweight title-conceding 12-round loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko in their unification bout last December. Lozada—a veteran spoiler from Tijuana riding a nine-fight unbeaten streak—came to fight, taking advantage of a shoebox-style ring which was just within the minimum required regulation size for a pro fight.

“It was a very small ring,” noted Pedraza. “I took a step back and was already against the ropes. I just had to box smart and be prepared for whatever he had to bring.”

Things grew interesting in the middle rounds, as Lozada timed Pedraza’s defensive moments and was able to touch him up with left hooks and straight rights. The proof was in the victor’s face, sporting bruises around his right eye but wearing the wounds as a badge of honor for what he had to endure in securing the win.

“I didn’t expect to come up bruised up like this,” confessed Pedraza. “I’m used to being a slick boxer and watching the punches pass by. Lozada was a difficult fighter, so this is what it took to get the win. I prefer to box, but am glad I was able to prove that I can also bite down when necessary in order to come out on top.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox