Sergey Lipinets is back. Omar Figueroa Jr. is finished.
Lipinets put Figureoa down in Round 2 and battered him until Figueroa’s father/trainer Omar Figueroa Sr. stopped the junior welterweight fight after eight rounds to save his son from further punishment Saturday in Hollywood, Florida.
The fight was billed as a WBC title eliminator.
The first round was competitive. However, after Figueroa (28-3-1, 19 KOs) went down from a right hand in Round 2, it was downhill for the former lightweight titleholder.
Lipinets pounded Figueroa’s head and body — and receiving little in return — in mostly inside exchanges. Figueroa’s only accomplishment was surviving as long as he did.
Figueroa had taken a significant beating by the time his father decided enough was enough.
Lipinets (17-2-1, 13 KOs) moved down from 147 pounds for the fight after drawing (Custio Clayton) and losing (Jaron Ennis) in his last two fights as a welterweight. He also took the fight on short notice after Adrien Broner pulled out.
The victory was his first since July 2019.
He expressed admiration for Figueroa after the fight.
“I had a good fighter in front of me,” he said. “My hat’s off to Omar for being a warrior. The punch that rocked Omar is the punch that my trainer and I have been working on for a long time. He came at me, and it was the perfect time to use it. I was too focused on protecting myself. I was concerned about him answering my punches, but it was not my job to stop the fight.
“140 is my weight. I came back. I’m back.”
Figueroa, the brother of Brandon Figueroa, has now lost three consecutive fights. He said in an emotional interview afterward that he plans to retire.
“I’m very disappointed about the outcome,” he said. “My team and I worked so hard during this training camp. My body has reached its limit. I’ve been doing this for 27 years and my body has finally said enough.
“I’m just sorry I’ve disappointed the fans. The change of opponents didn’t affect me. I think I’ve reached the end of the line here in boxing. It occupied my life for 27 years. My body just gave up. It didn’t respond.”
The Texan held a 135-pound title in 2014.
[lawrence-related id=32215,32210]