Javier Fortuna might not have done himself any favors on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
The Dominican, who has trouble luring top 135-pounders into the ring, stopped overmatched Antonio Lozada in the sixth round of a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout at Staples Center. And he looked like a terror in the process, which might scare prospective opponents away.
Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs) was supposed to have fought Luke Campbell in April for a secondary world title but the fight was canceled because of COVID-19. Then, a scheduled meeting with Jorge Linares in August was scrapped after the Venezuelan contracted the virus.
Fortuna, who hadn’t fought in a year, took his frustration out on Lozada, a 6-footer from Tijuana with some grit but not enough ability to compete with a lightweight of Fortuna’s ability.
Fortuna almost ended the fight in the first round, as he came out winging punches and landed a series of them. Finally, a wide left to the top of Lozada’s head put him down. The Mexican survived the early onslaught but was on the defensive much of the rest of the fight.
The winner paced himself throughout, boxing and moving – but not throwing many punches – much of the time. And then, in an instant, he would open the flood gates and overwhelm Lozada (40-5-1, 34 KOs) with hard, accurate shots.
That’s what happened in the final round. Fortuna had been sticking and moving when, with Lozada’s back against the ropes, he landed several blows in a brutal flurry. He punctuated the attack with a straight left that snapped Lozada’s head back, prompting referee Gerard White to stop the fight.
The official time was 2:34 of Round 6.
Fortuna is ranked No. 2 by the WBC, behind titleholder Teofimo Lopez, secondary beltholder Devin Haney and No. 1-ranked Vasiliy Lomachenko, meaning he’s in position to take part in a major fight next time out.
The problem will be trying to find a willing opponent.