Kenneth Sims Jr. took another solid step toward further solidifying his name across the 140 and 147-pound divisions, scoring a unanimous decision against Kendo Castaneda on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

The slick-boxing, speedy, and crafty Sims (22-2-1, 8 KOs) broke down Castaneda (21-8, 9 KOs) with body shots and then took the fight to the inside, picking apart his welterweight counterpart with precisely placed shots from the pocket.

Castaneda showed plenty of heart and courage, however, catching a second wind to make the second half of the fight a struggle at times for Sims with eye-catching combinations.

Judges scored the 10-round contest 99-91, 99-91, 98-92 in favor of Sims.

Sims landed 197 of 629 punches (76 to the body), while Castaneda countered with 149 of 694.

Castaneda’s best sequence of the scrap came in the seventh as he unleashed a furious combination against the ropes and clipped Sims square on the jaw with a left hook. Sims was game, however, standing his ground and trading with his share of heavy shots. Castaneda landed and threw 21 of 94 punches in the round; Sims countered with 20 of 75.

Castaneda had plenty of substance until the final bell, as he unleashed six straight left hooks in the tenth. Sims fired back though, proving Castaneda’s pizazz wouldn’t result in a points victory, as he landed a fight-high 26 punches in the final round.

Sims, a 31-year-old decorated amateur from Chicago, extended his winning streak to nine and hasn't lost since 2018, which ended a 1-2-1 stretch over four fights at the time. Sims fought for the first time since August. He was supposed to face junior welterweight Oscar Duarte in November but pulled out of the contest one week prior due to a knee injury. The win against Castaneda on Duarte’s undercard again sets up Sims to face the hard-hitting Mexican, if Golden Boy Promotions decides to pursue the fight once again.

Castaneda, a 31-year-old from San Antonio, was fighting for the first time since September when he lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Elvis Rodriguez.

Sims beat Rodriguez in 2021 in an eight-round majority decision, handing the Dominican the lone loss of his career.