By Mario Ortega Jr. –
DALY CITY, CALIFORNIA – Longtime lightweight contender Adam Lopez proved to be a class above a game Giovannie Gonzalez in the main event of a six-bout card at the famed Cow Palace Arena & Event Center on Saturday night.
Lopez (17-5, 6 KOs) of Glendale, California outworked and outboxed Gonzalez (18-6-2, 13 KOs) of Stockton, California over the eight rounds en route to a shutout decision.
Lopez, 132, began to let his hands go in the second round, as he forced Gonzalez, 133, to the ropes with combinations. There was good two-way action in the third, but Lopez just threw and landed more often.
Lopez clearly took control of the fight in the fourth. Two body shots late in the round really seemed to bother Gonzalez. The Stockton fighter may have thought the punches strayed low as a brief shoving match took place after the bell.
The pace slowed in the fifth and sixth rounds, but Lopez was able to notch them by throwing in combination as Gonzalez looked to land one at a time.
Gonzalez sprang to life late in the seventh and eighth rounds, but the late flurries were not enough to sway any of the judges. After dodging Gonzalez’ final effort along the ropes, Lopez had earned the nod on all three cards by the score of 80-72.
With the win, Lopez, who has only have ever come up short against the very top level of the division, claimed the WBC Continental Latino title. Holding the regional belt will likely aide in placing Lopez among the top fifteen when the WBC releases their next world rankings.
In the co-main event, featherweight prospect Malikai Johnson (12-0-1, 8 KOs) of Sacramento, California stopped Eugene Lagos (16-7-3, 11 KOs) of Laguna Hills, California by way of Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, Philippines with seconds to go in the third round.
After a feeling out first round, things heated up in the second stanza. Lagos, 129, set to press the action and Johnson, 126, found his spots countering.
Lagos was aggressive again in the third and found succes with combinations. Johnson was able to counter, especially as Lagos got a little wild with some of his swings. Lagos pressed Johnson to the ropes late in the round. The Sacramento fighter was able to maneuver off of the ropes, reversing position, before landing a left to the body that crumpled Lagos to his knees. With Lagos not moving, holding his ribs on the mat, referee Michael Margado called the fight at 2:57 of the third round.
Jacob Macalolooy (7-0, 4 KOs) of Union City, California boxed his way to a six-round unanimous decision over rugged Jose Manuel Gomez (4-3-1, 4 KOs) of Livermore, California
Macalolooy, 147, controlled most of the opening round until Gomez, 148, wobbled him with a right with seconds to go. The late round success may have turned Gomez into a head-hunter, as he never made a concentrated effort to slow Macalolooy with a body attack.
Macalolooy regained his footing in the second and closed the round with a well-placed flurry. The third featured competitive action, but Macalolooy’s movement gave Gomez trouble as the fight progressed.
As the fight moved past the midway point, Macalolooy was able to land one eye-catching blow and either move away or clinch on the inside. In the end, all three judges scored the bout a shutout for Macalolooy, 60-54.
Petr Khamukov (11-0, 5 KOs) of Woodland Hills, California by way of Labinsk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia notched a workmanlike stoppage of veteran journeyman Angel Hernandez (19-23-1, 14 KOs) of Gary, Indiana.
Khamukov, 160, methodically broke down Hernandez, 159, as the fight progressed, leading to the eventual conclusion.
Khamukov, a 2016 Russian Olympian, nearly scored a knockdown in the first, but it was waved off due to the way Hernandez was assisted to the mat after the punch had landed.
Hernandez fought bravely for much of the bout, but opted to take a knee with under 20 seconds to go in the third round. Referee Edward Collantes visited the corner during the rest period and quickly signaled for the end of the contest. Official time of the stoppage was 3:00 of the third.
Damoni Cato-Cain (8-1-1, 7 KOs) of Oakland, California scored one knockdown on the way to stopping Juan Meza Moreno (4-4, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, California after three completed rounds.
Cato-Cain, 151, and Meza Moreno, 150, both switched from southpaw to orthodox and back throughout the contest, but it was the Oaklander that found success from the opening bell.
Cato-Cain landed with straight left hand out of southpaw stance that dropped Meza Moreno late in first round. Cato-Cain was more measured in the second stanza, but still rocked Meza Moreno midway through the round and then staggered Meza Moreno again in the third with a right hand.
Ringside physician Gary Furness checked on Meza Moreno after the second and third rounds, ultimately stopping the bout after the second look, with the official time of :01 of the fourth round.
In the opening bout, Sachery Sam (2-0, 1 KO) of Stockton scored a first-round technical knockout of Ezra Rabin (1-4, 1 KO) of Oakland.
Utilizing his jab and quick, short punches, Sam, 130, dropped Rabin, 129, four times en route to the stoppage at the 2:07 mark of the round.
It was announced that Westside Promotions, promoter of Saturday’s event, will return to the Cow Palace next March.
Photo by Shane Radin/srflicks.com
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected]
