Teofimo Lopez said after his sensational victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko that he wasn’t impressed with the former pound-for-pound king.
Teofimo Lopez wasn’t impressed with the great Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Lopez dominated the first half of the fight – winning the first six rounds on all three cards – and then fought off a rally from Lomachenko to win a unanimous decision and all four of the lightweight titles at only 23 years old inside the MGM Grand “bubble”.
Lomachenko threw an average of only 9.7 punches per round in the first six rounds, all of which he lost on all three cards. He hadn’t fought for 14 months. And one could argue he didn’t fight until Round 7 on Saturday.
“I expected more,” Lopez said at the post-fight news conference. “A lot of people were talking highly about him and I expected more, but [he was] basic. He was pretty basic, honestly, overall.
“Maybe it was a 14-month layoff that did it. I don’t know. I mean … I had a 10-month layoff, so why does it matter?”
[vertical-gallery id=14785]
Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) picked up his punch rate in the second half of the fight, which allowed him to win several rounds on two cards and make the fight interesting.
Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) not only maintained his composure in the face of Lomachenko’s momentum , he made a statement by dominating the pound-for-pound king in the 12th and final round. He won 116-112, 119-109 and 117-111. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for the winner.
Nothing Lopez did surprised him.
“We talked the talk and we walked the walk,” he said. “That’s what I do, man. My father [and trainer] just doesn’t talk s— just to talk s—. He believes in my abilities. I’m smart when I’m in there, you know, and I peeped a lot of things.
“But, you know, facing someone like that and doing what I did, you guys haven’t seen anything yet.”
What will we see next?
Well, one thing seems certain: It won’t be a rematch with Lomachenko even if he asks for one. There was no rematch clause in the contract, and Lopez doesn’t see the point of having one.
“For what? For what?,” Lopez said. “I beat him, and I did everything that I had to to beat him. If anything, it’ll happen again, the same thing. There was no rematch clause for a reason. Now I can talk my s—.
“They had it pretty much where they didn’t give me a rematch clause for a reason. … They gave me a contract on the side, pretty much saying, like, ‘If you lose, this is what you’re gonna get for your next fights,’ pretty much predicting that I’m gonna lose.
“… Now it’s time for us to take over and move forward. That’s it. I told y’all, man, out with the old, in the with new.”
Teofimo Lopez said after his sensational victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko that he wasn’t impressed with the former pound-for-pound king.
Teofimo Lopez wasn’t impressed with the great Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Lopez dominated the first half of the fight – winning the first six rounds on all three cards – and then fought off a rally from Lomachenko to win a unanimous decision and all four of the lightweight titles at only 23 years old inside the MGM Grand “bubble”.
Lomachenko threw an average of only 9.7 punches per round in the first six rounds, all of which he lost on all three cards. He hadn’t fought for 14 months. And one could argue he didn’t fight until Round 7 on Saturday.
“I expected more,” Lopez said at the post-fight news conference. “A lot of people were talking highly about him and I expected more, but [he was] basic. He was pretty basic, honestly, overall.
“Maybe it was a 14-month layoff that did it. I don’t know. I mean … I had a 10-month layoff, so why does it matter?”
[vertical-gallery id=14785]
Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) picked up his punch rate in the second half of the fight, which allowed him to win several rounds on two cards and make the fight interesting.
Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) not only maintained his composure in the face of Lomachenko’s momentum , he made a statement by dominating the pound-for-pound king in the 12th and final round. He won 116-112, 119-109 and 117-111. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for the winner.
Nothing Lopez did surprised him.
“We talked the talk and we walked the walk,” he said. “That’s what I do, man. My father [and trainer] just doesn’t talk s— just to talk s—. He believes in my abilities. I’m smart when I’m in there, you know, and I peeped a lot of things.
“But, you know, facing someone like that and doing what I did, you guys haven’t seen anything yet.”
What will we see next?
Well, one thing seems certain: It won’t be a rematch with Lomachenko even if he asks for one. There was no rematch clause in the contract, and Lopez doesn’t see the point of having one.
“For what? For what?,” Lopez said. “I beat him, and I did everything that I had to to beat him. If anything, it’ll happen again, the same thing. There was no rematch clause for a reason. Now I can talk my s—.
“They had it pretty much where they didn’t give me a rematch clause for a reason. … They gave me a contract on the side, pretty much saying, like, ‘If you lose, this is what you’re gonna get for your next fights,’ pretty much predicting that I’m gonna lose.
“… Now it’s time for us to take over and move forward. That’s it. I told y’all, man, out with the old, in the with new.”
Teofimo Lopez Jr. had his true coming out on Saturday, when he defeated pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Teofimo Lopez (left) targeted Vasiliy Lomachenko’s gut from the opening bell. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
The ascension of a young prodigy is always something to behold.
Teofimo Lopez Jr., only 23, has been knocking on the door of stardom for some time. He took a significant step and generated excitement when he annihilated Richard Commey in two rounds to win a major lightweight title last December.
But he enjoyed his true coming out on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Lopez has said for a few years that he would beat pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko if they were to meet and then he did it, outboxing a boxing wizard to win a unanimous decision and become undisputed lightweight champion.
He fought carefully but with purpose in the first half of the fight, when Lomachenko was curiously inactive. And he showed the poise and determination of a more mature fighter when the Ukrainian rallied in the later rounds.
Lopez was particularly impressive in the 12th and final round, when he defied the instructions of his father-trainer by fiercely attacking Lomachenko to finish with a flurry.
Turns out he didn’t need to win that round. He won by scores of 116-112, 119-109 and 117-111, an astonishing outcome given Lomachenko’s track record and the relative inexperience of the Honduran-American. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for the winner.
Lopez seemed to have special ability going into the fight but had yet to prove it. Now we know he’s the real deal.
***
BAD
Lomachenko (right) fought with the heart of a champion in the second half of the fight. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
We should applaud Lomachenko. He is a natural 130-pounder – at most – yet moved up to 135 in search of bigger challenges, which was risky. We saw vulnerabilities in him in victories over Jorge Linares and Luke Campbell at 135 that we hadn’t seen before.
And, on Saturday, he finally stretched himself too far. Linares and Campbell are good; Lopez obviously is a step up from him.
I don’t understand what Lomachenko was thinking in the first half of the fight. It made sense to fight carefully against a strong, big-puncher like Lopez but you can’t give away half the rounds as a result of inactivity and expect to win.
Lomachenko threw only 58 punches in the first six rounds, according to CompuBox. That’s 9.7 per round. And he landed an average of 4.2. That’s why he lost all those rounds on all three cards.
Yes, he was coming off a 14-month layoff. Yes, he’s going on 33. And, yes, he didn’t want to get caught with a big shot. Still, you have to let your hands go if you want to win.
Lomachenko engineered a valiant rally, picking up his work rate and trading punches toe-to-toe at times to give himself a chance and turn a so-so fight into entertaining one. Alas, it wasn’t enough. The great “Hi-Tech” had met his match. Lopez was too quick, too big and ultimately too good for him.
The loser might be kicking himself now, wishing he has been more active in the early rounds. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference, though. Lomachenko’s time seems to have passed.
***
WORSE
Lopez (left) appeared to do enough to beat Lomachenko but 11 rounds to one? Mikey Williams / Top Rank
More horrible scorecards reared their ugly heads on Saturday.
Julie Lederman is recognized a good judge. And she had the right man winning in the Lomachenko-Lopez fight, which is more important than the margin of victory. However, her score – 119-109 for Lopez – has baffled many and angered some. And rightfully so.
That score means she gave Lopez 11 of the 12 rounds. She gave Lomachenko only Round 11. Television commentator and former champion Andre Ward scored it 114-114, which was curious in the other direction. Others had it as close as 115-113 for Lopez.
Lomachenko seemed to win at least half of the final six rounds, which would’ve made the score 117-111 if you give Lopez the first six. He picked up his pace, he had Lopez on the defensive at times, he had the momentum.
Five rounds to one for Lopez in Rounds 7 to 12 just seemed out of whack.
Promoter Bob Arum said afterward that he would be happy if Lederman no longer worked bouts involving his fighters, which is probably overkill given Lederman’s track record, but his feelings are understandable.
And, sadly, that wasn’t the only rogue card on Saturday. Most observers believe that Miguel Vazquez did more than enough to earn a decision over Lewis Ritson in Peterborough, England. Somehow two judges scored it for Ritson — 115-113 and 117-111 – giving him a split-decision victory.
The 117-111 score from veteran judge Terry O’Connor was widely criticized. Nine rounds to three for Ritson? No way. That score was more disgraceful than Lederman’s because it would be impossible to justify and he had the wrong man winning.
To make matters worse, an image apparently showing O’Connor looking at his phone during the eighth round has emerged. He might be finished as a judge if an investigation confirms what we appear to see in the photo.
Once again, we can only hope the powers that be take steps to improve scoring.
Teofimo Lopez Jr. had his true coming out on Saturday, when he defeated pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Teofimo Lopez (left) targeted Vasiliy Lomachenko’s gut from the opening bell. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
The ascension of a young prodigy is always something to behold.
Teofimo Lopez Jr., only 23, has been knocking on the door of stardom for some time. He took a significant step and generated excitement when he annihilated Richard Commey in two rounds to win a major lightweight title last December.
But he enjoyed his true coming out on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Lopez has said for a few years that he would beat pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko if they were to meet and then he did it, outboxing a boxing wizard to win a unanimous decision and become undisputed lightweight champion.
He fought carefully but with purpose in the first half of the fight, when Lomachenko was curiously inactive. And he showed the poise and determination of a more mature fighter when the Ukrainian rallied in the later rounds.
Lopez was particularly impressive in the 12th and final round, when he defied the instructions of his father-trainer by fiercely attacking Lomachenko to finish with a flurry.
Turns out he didn’t need to win that round. He won by scores of 116-112, 119-109 and 117-111, an astonishing outcome given Lomachenko’s track record and the relative inexperience of the Honduran-American. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for the winner.
Lopez seemed to have special ability going into the fight but had yet to prove it. Now we know he’s the real deal.
***
BAD
Lomachenko (right) fought with the heart of a champion in the second half of the fight. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
We should applaud Lomachenko. He is a natural 130-pounder – at most – yet moved up to 135 in search of bigger challenges, which was risky. We saw vulnerabilities in him in victories over Jorge Linares and Luke Campbell at 135 that we hadn’t seen before.
And, on Saturday, he finally stretched himself too far. Linares and Campbell are good; Lopez obviously is a step up from him.
I don’t understand what Lomachenko was thinking in the first half of the fight. It made sense to fight carefully against a strong, big-puncher like Lopez but you can’t give away half the rounds as a result of inactivity and expect to win.
Lomachenko threw only 58 punches in the first six rounds, according to CompuBox. That’s 9.7 per round. And he landed an average of 4.2. That’s why he lost all those rounds on all three cards.
Yes, he was coming off a 14-month layoff. Yes, he’s going on 33. And, yes, he didn’t want to get caught with a big shot. Still, you have to let your hands go if you want to win.
Lomachenko engineered a valiant rally, picking up his work rate and trading punches toe-to-toe at times to give himself a chance and turn a so-so fight into entertaining one. Alas, it wasn’t enough. The great “Hi-Tech” had met his match. Lopez was too quick, too big and ultimately too good for him.
The loser might be kicking himself now, wishing he has been more active in the early rounds. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference, though. Lomachenko’s time seems to have passed.
***
WORSE
Lopez (left) appeared to do enough to beat Lomachenko but 11 rounds to one? Mikey Williams / Top Rank
More horrible scorecards reared their ugly heads on Saturday.
Julie Lederman is recognized a good judge. And she had the right man winning in the Lomachenko-Lopez fight, which is more important than the margin of victory. However, her score – 119-109 for Lopez – has baffled many and angered some. And rightfully so.
That score means she gave Lopez 11 of the 12 rounds. She gave Lomachenko only Round 11. Television commentator and former champion Andre Ward scored it 114-114, which was curious in the other direction. Others had it as close as 115-113 for Lopez.
Lomachenko seemed to win at least half of the final six rounds, which would’ve made the score 117-111 if you give Lopez the first six. He picked up his pace, he had Lopez on the defensive at times, he had the momentum.
Five rounds to one for Lopez in Rounds 7 to 12 just seemed out of whack.
Promoter Bob Arum said afterward that he would be happy if Lederman no longer worked bouts involving his fighters, which is probably overkill given Lederman’s track record, but his feelings are understandable.
And, sadly, that wasn’t the only rogue card on Saturday. Most observers believe that Miguel Vazquez did more than enough to earn a decision over Lewis Ritson in Peterborough, England. Somehow two judges scored it for Ritson — 115-113 and 117-111 – giving him a split-decision victory.
The 117-111 score from veteran judge Terry O’Connor was widely criticized. Nine rounds to three for Ritson? No way. That score was more disgraceful than Lederman’s because it would be impossible to justify and he had the wrong man winning.
To make matters worse, an image apparently showing O’Connor looking at his phone during the eighth round has emerged. He might be finished as a judge if an investigation confirms what we appear to see in the photo.
Once again, we can only hope the powers that be take steps to improve scoring.
Teofimo Lopez Jr. outboxed Vasiliy Lomachenko to win a unanimous decision and become undisputed lightweight champ Saturday.
Maybe Vasiliy Lomachenko was too small for Teofimo Lopez Jr. Maybe the Ukrainian has begun to decline, as some had suggested. Maybe a 14-month layoff played a role. Maybe Lopez is just that good.
All of these factors probably dragged Lomachenko down in a memorable title-unification fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Lopez, the brash 23-year-old from Brooklyn, did what few thought he could do – he outboxed a boxing master and survived a spirited rally from Lomachenko to win a stunning unanimous decision and all four of the major lightweight titles.
The winner seemed to be fighting back tears when he was interviewed immediately after the fight.
“I have to thank God. I had to dig deep,” he said. “… It feels good.”
Lopez and his father-trainer of the same name had been pursing a fight with Lomachenko for a few years, certain that they would have success against Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter in the world pound for pound.
Knowledgeable observers gave him a decent chance of winning because of his size and power advantages. But a decision over the great Lomachenko? Unthinkable. And then it happened.
Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) fought with measured aggression in the early rounds, primarily jabbing and targeting the body of his opponent. Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) moved about the ring deftly to avoid many of Lopez’s punches and measure his opponent, as he always does, but he allowed Lopez to out work him the first half the fight.
Was he rusty because of the layoff? Was he too respectful of Lopez’s power? Was Lopez too quick and perhaps better than he thought? Whatever the reason, he didn’t throw many punches and fell behind as a result.
Lomachenko began to fight with more urgency in Round 7 and was attacking Lopez by the following round. He wasn’t careless – which could’ve been disastrous – but he began to impose his will and give himself a chance to rally.
Lopez seemed almost stunned at Lomachenko’s sudden aggression but he never panicked and continued to fight back effectively, making rounds seven through 11 competitive even if Lomachenko seemed to gain the momentum.
Lopez’s father, believing his son was well ahead on the cards, told him to box in the 12th and final round. He ignored the advice. He came out on fire, beating Lomachenko to the punch at every turn and clearly landing the bigger shots.
“I’m a fighter,” he said. “I gotta dig deep. I knew he was coming. I can’t give him that. I don’t know if they got him up on the scorecards or not. I love to fight. I could bang too. I’ll take one to give one.
“That’s what a true champion does, go out there and find a way to win.”
He won by a mile. The scores were 116-112, 119-109 and 117-111. Boxing Junkie had it 116-112 in favor of Lopez.
The CompuBox statistics supported the scoring and reflected what happened in the ring. Lopez landed 183 of 659 punches (28%), Lomachenko 141 of 321 (44%). Lopez had a big advantage over Lomachenko in power shots, 148-78.
Still, Lomachenko, his face red and bruised, said afterward that he believes he did enough to win the fight.
“I think the first half of the fight, yeah, he got more rounds than I did,” he said. “Then, in the second half of the fight, I took it over. I was much better. I want to go home and review the fight … but I definitely am not agreeing with the scorecards.
“… At the moment I think I was winning the fight, but the result is the result. I’m not going to argue right now.”
Lopez, with the four belts hanging from his body, was asked what he and his father saw in Lomachenko that led them to believe he could do what he did on Saturday.
“Honestly, you gotta keep the pressure on him, keep the gas on,” he said. “Stick the jab, don’t give him an opportunity to set up. And every time he wanted to throw I had something ready for him, something to throw. That kind of stopped his momentum.
“On top of that he’d been on a 14-month layoff. I knew it was take him a long time to catch up.”
He never did. It was Lopez’s night. And it’s sure to change his career and life. He’s a major star now, a true pound-for-pounder, which translates into more big fights and equally big money. He’ll have many options going forward.
This is what he and father envisioned all along.
“It’s the takeover, man,” he said. “All it is, it’s time for my generation to come up. And it was up for me to lead the way for everybody.”
Teofimo Lopez Jr. outboxed Vasiliy Lomachenko to win a unanimous decision and become undisputed lightweight champ Saturday.
Maybe Vasiliy Lomachenko was too small for Teofimo Lopez Jr. Maybe the Ukrainian has begun to decline, as some had suggested. Maybe a 14-month layoff played a role. Maybe Lopez is just that good.
All of these factors probably dragged Lomachenko down in a memorable title-unification fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Lopez, the brash 23-year-old from Brooklyn, did what few thought he could do – he outboxed a boxing master and survived a spirited rally from Lomachenko to win a stunning unanimous decision and all four of the major lightweight titles.
The winner seemed to be fighting back tears when he was interviewed immediately after the fight.
“I have to thank God. I had to dig deep,” he said. “… It feels good.”
Lopez and his father-trainer of the same name had been pursing a fight with Lomachenko for a few years, certain that they would have success against Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter in the world pound for pound.
Knowledgeable observers gave him a decent chance of winning because of his size and power advantages. But a decision over the great Lomachenko? Unthinkable. And then it happened.
Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) fought with measured aggression in the early rounds, primarily jabbing and targeting the body of his opponent. Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) moved about the ring deftly to avoid many of Lopez’s punches and measure his opponent, as he always does, but he allowed Lopez to out work him the first half the fight.
Was he rusty because of the layoff? Was he too respectful of Lopez’s power? Was Lopez too quick and perhaps better than he thought? Whatever the reason, he didn’t throw many punches and fell behind as a result.
Lomachenko began to fight with more urgency in Round 7 and was attacking Lopez by the following round. He wasn’t careless – which could’ve been disastrous – but he began to impose his will and give himself a chance to rally.
Lopez seemed almost stunned at Lomachenko’s sudden aggression but he never panicked and continued to fight back effectively, making rounds seven through 11 competitive even if Lomachenko seemed to gain the momentum.
Lopez’s father, believing his son was well ahead on the cards, told him to box in the 12th and final round. He ignored the advice. He came out on fire, beating Lomachenko to the punch at every turn and clearly landing the bigger shots.
“I’m a fighter,” he said. “I gotta dig deep. I knew he was coming. I can’t give him that. I don’t know if they got him up on the scorecards or not. I love to fight. I could bang too. I’ll take one to give one.
“That’s what a true champion does, go out there and find a way to win.”
He won by a mile. The scores were 116-112, 119-109 and 117-111. Boxing Junkie had it 116-112 in favor of Lopez.
The CompuBox statistics supported the scoring and reflected what happened in the ring. Lopez landed 183 of 659 punches (28%), Lomachenko 141 of 321 (44%). Lopez had a big advantage over Lomachenko in power shots, 148-78.
Still, Lomachenko, his face red and bruised, said afterward that he believes he did enough to win the fight.
“I think the first half of the fight, yeah, he got more rounds than I did,” he said. “Then, in the second half of the fight, I took it over. I was much better. I want to go home and review the fight … but I definitely am not agreeing with the scorecards.
“… At the moment I think I was winning the fight, but the result is the result. I’m not going to argue right now.”
Lopez, with the four belts hanging from his body, was asked what he and his father saw in Lomachenko that led them to believe he could do what he did on Saturday.
“Honestly, you gotta keep the pressure on him, keep the gas on,” he said. “Stick the jab, don’t give him an opportunity to set up. And every time he wanted to throw I had something ready for him, something to throw. That kind of stopped his momentum.
“On top of that he’d been on a 14-month layoff. I knew it was take him a long time to catch up.”
He never did. It was Lopez’s night. And it’s sure to change his career and life. He’s a major star now, a true pound-for-pounder, which translates into more big fights and equally big money. He’ll have many options going forward.
This is what he and father envisioned all along.
“It’s the takeover, man,” he said. “All it is, it’s time for my generation to come up. And it was up for me to lead the way for everybody.”
Arnold Barboza Jr. won the battle of junior welterweight titleholders. Barboza survived a knockdown to defeat Alex Saucedo by a unanimous decision on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez card Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The scores were …
Arnold Barboza Jr. won the battle of junior welterweight titleholders.
Barboza survived a knockdown to defeat Alex Saucedo by a unanimous decision on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez card Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The scores were 96-93, 97-92 and 97-92.
Barboza (25-0, 10 KOs) outboxed, outworked and outlanded the typically aggressive Saucedo (30-2, 19 KOs), who was game but isn’t the complete boxer Barboza is.
The fighters landed a comparable number of punches but Barboza’s shots were generally cleaner.
Saucedo’s best moment came in Round 7, when Barboza missed a wild punch, got his legs tangled with Saucedo’s and then took a shot to the head that put him down.
The knockdown was initially ruled a slip. However, using Las Vegas’ updated replay rule, a ringside official indicated that Saucedo should’ve been credited for a knockdown and referee Celestino Ruiz ruled it as such.
Barboza is ranked in the Top 10 by the WBC and WBO. With his victory over Saucedo, he almost certainly will move up the ladder another rung.
Saucedo had won two in a row after losing by seventh-round TKO in a title shot against Maurice Hooker in 2018.
Arnold Barboza Jr. won the battle of junior welterweight titleholders. Barboza survived a knockdown to defeat Alex Saucedo by a unanimous decision on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez card Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The scores were …
Arnold Barboza Jr. won the battle of junior welterweight titleholders.
Barboza survived a knockdown to defeat Alex Saucedo by a unanimous decision on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez card Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The scores were 96-93, 97-92 and 97-92.
Barboza (25-0, 10 KOs) outboxed, outworked and outlanded the typically aggressive Saucedo (30-2, 19 KOs), who was game but isn’t the complete boxer Barboza is.
The fighters landed a comparable number of punches but Barboza’s shots were generally cleaner.
Saucedo’s best moment came in Round 7, when Barboza missed a wild punch, got his legs tangled with Saucedo’s and then took a shot to the head that put him down.
The knockdown was initially ruled a slip. However, using Las Vegas’ updated replay rule, a ringside official indicated that Saucedo should’ve been credited for a knockdown and referee Celestino Ruiz ruled it as such.
Barboza is ranked in the Top 10 by the WBC and WBO. With his victory over Saucedo, he almost certainly will move up the ladder another rung.
Saucedo had won two in a row after losing by seventh-round TKO in a title shot against Maurice Hooker in 2018.
Edgar Berlanga extended his streak of first-round KOs to 15, stopping Lanell Bellows in 1:19 Saturday.
The streak goes on.
Super middleweight prospect Edgar Berlanga was facing a fighter who had never been stopped, veteran Lanell Bellows, on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez card Saturday in Las Vegas. His streak of first-round knockouts to start his career had to come to an end in this fight, right?
Nope.
Berlanga (15-0, 15 KOs) clipped Bellows with a left hook not even a minute into the fight and followed with a barrage of big shots that left Bellows cut and dazed, prompting referee Robert Hoyle to stop the fight only 1:19 into the scheduled eight-rounder.
“I looked into his eye and he didn’t want to be there, so I took him out,” Berlanga said.
The New Yorker doesn’t attack his opponents wildly. He took a measured approach from the opening bell against Bellows (20-6-3, 13 KOs), throwing his jab, finding his range.
Then he threw a shot with bad intentions. Then another. Then that left hook landed on the side of Bellows’ head, which weakening his legs and made him easy prey. Berlanga knew what he had to do. And he did it.
Berlanga is only 23. He’s just getting started, yet he already has a significant fan base. That’s what a string of first-round stoppages will do.
Edgar Berlanga extended his streak of first-round KOs to 15, stopping Lanell Bellows in 1:19 Saturday.
The streak goes on.
Super middleweight prospect Edgar Berlanga was facing a fighter who had never been stopped, veteran Lanell Bellows, on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez card Saturday in Las Vegas. His streak of first-round knockouts to start his career had to come to an end in this fight, right?
Nope.
Berlanga (15-0, 15 KOs) clipped Bellows with a left hook not even a minute into the fight and followed with a barrage of big shots that left Bellows cut and dazed, prompting referee Robert Hoyle to stop the fight only 1:19 into the scheduled eight-rounder.
“I looked into his eye and he didn’t want to be there, so I took him out,” Berlanga said.
The New Yorker doesn’t attack his opponents wildly. He took a measured approach from the opening bell against Bellows (20-6-3, 13 KOs), throwing his jab, finding his range.
Then he threw a shot with bad intentions. Then another. Then that left hook landed on the side of Bellows’ head, which weakening his legs and made him easy prey. Berlanga knew what he had to do. And he did it.
Berlanga is only 23. He’s just getting started, yet he already has a significant fan base. That’s what a string of first-round stoppages will do.
