Chon BOMB!

After a heated and irritable Friday weigh-in following Thursday’s tetchy press conference, Jose “Chon” Zepeda didn’t waste time on Saturday night.

Zepeda surprsed Josue “The Prodigy” Vargas at 1:45 of the opening round at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden, shocking  the Bronx fighter in front of his local fans.

Zepeda retained his 140-pound WBC silver belt and got closer from getting another title shot.

Southpaw Zepeda (35-2, 27 KOs) countered Vargas (19-2, 9 KOs) with a right lead and a sledgehammer left hand that knocked Vargas down. Stunned  Vargas bravely  got up, but he was not in optimal shape.

Zepeda immediately attacked, trapping Vargas on the ropes with a series of unanswered punches and visited the canvas again. Referee David Fields stopped the fight and Zepeda took the victory in another rivalry chapter of Mexico vs. Puerto Rico inked and synced.

“I was ready. I was 100 percent ready, and I told him at the press conference that there are levels to this. He was the one who wanted to fight me. I just took the fight and today he proved that boxing is not a game. There are levels in this,” Zepeda said. “I told him, and I knew he hit hard. I don’t think he recovered after that first fall.”

Vargas said: “He hit me with a good left hand and I tried to recover, but I think I got up too fast. That was what happened. Overall, I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m healthy. We won’t stop from here. We will move on to the next one.

“I learned from my disqualification loss, and now I learned from my second loss.”

Zepeda has a six fights  strike victory since his controversial decision loss to José Ramírez. Josh Taylor now rules at 140 pounds as the undisputed champion, but Zepeda once again put his name among the division’s top contenders.

“I am 32 years old and in my prime,” Zepeda said. “I want the WBC world title and all the belts, to be honest. I’m ready for that. Today I showed that I’m ready for the WBC world title.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 30: Josue Vargas (L) and Jose Zepeda (R) exchange punches during their fight for the WBC silver super lightweight championship at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on October 30, 2021 in New York City.(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)