Lopez Decisions Lomachenko; Becomes Undisputed Lightweight Champion
Teofimo Lopez won the undisputed Lightweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Vasiliy Lomachenko at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.
Lopez dominated the first seven rounds as he boxed well and kept Lomachenko from the outside. Lopez featured some solid body work and landed some quick combinations that forced Lomachenko to do next to nothing.
Lomachenko came alive in the middle to late rounds and landed some quick shots that edged him closer in the fight. Lopez bit down and had a big final frame that solidified the victory by scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116–112/
Lopez landed 183 of 659 punches. Lomachenko was 141 of 329.
Lopez is now 16-0. Lomachenko is 14-2.
Said Lopez, “I had to dig deep, man. I’m thankful. I’m grateful. And each and every day, I take that in. I thank God first because I couldn’t do it without him.
“I’m a fighter. I gotta dig in deep. I knew he was coming. I didn’t know if they had him up on the scorecards or not, and I love to fight. I can bang, too. I don’t care, man. I’ll take one to give one. That’s what a true champion does. I find a way to win.
“You just gotta keep pressuring him, press the gas, stick the jab and don’t really give him that opportunity to set up. Every time he did want to throw, I had something ready for him.”
Barboza Decisions Saucedo
Arnold Barboza Jr. scored the biggest win of his career as he remained undefeated by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Alex Saucedo in a junior welterweight bout.
In round one, Saucedo began to bleed from the nose that was caused by a headbutt.
In round seven, Barboza slipped, but it was correctly ruled a knockdown when officials went to the instant replay.
That was the only blip for Barboza, as he won by scores of 97-92 twice and 96-93.
Barboza landed 218 of 941 punches. Saucedo was 183 of 691.
Barboza, 140 lbs of South El Monte, CA is 25-0. Saucedo, 140 lbs of Oklahoma City is 30-2.
Barboza said, “This was like a championship fight to me. It’s all because of my father {head trainer Arnold Barboza Sr.}, not me. I did this for kids and my father. My dream is to get a house for my kids. I came that much closer today.
“I want a championship fight. No more messing around. No more tune-up fights.”
Berlanga stops Bellows in 1st; Keeps KO streak alive
Edgar Berlanga made it 15-for-15 in opening round stoppage as he took out Lanell Bellows in their scheduled eight-round super middleweight bout.
Berlanga cut Bellows with a hard left hook. Bellows was hurt, and Berlanga smelled blood and landed some more heavy shots and the fight was stopped in 79 seconds.
Berlanga, 169 lbs of Brooklyn is 15-0 with all 15 knockouts in the 1st round. Bellows, 169 lbs of Las Vegas is 20-6-3.
Berlanga said, “I saw with the first shot that I cut him open and the look in his eyes, he didn’t want to be in there. From the beginning, once I got in the ring, I looked in his eyes… he didn’t want to be in there. So I had to get him out.”
Vargas Decisions Casteneda
Josue Vargas won a 10-round unanimous decision over Kendo Casteneda in a junior welterweight bout.
In round two, Vargas dropped Casteneda with a straight left. Later in round three, Castenda began to bleed from his nose.
In round six, Casteneda started bleeding from his mouth.
Vargas outlanded Casteneda 226-112
Vargas, 142 lbs of Bronx, NY won by scores 100-89, 99-90 and 98-91 to raise his mark to 18-1. Casteneda, 142 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 17-3.
Vargas said,“He was a tough customer, tougher than I thought he was going to be, but my father told me to stay composed, stay calm. I dropped him, but that doesn’t mean nothing, just stay relaxed because that’s how I got disqualified when I was 18 years old.
“I’m very close to fighting these guys, like Zepeda, Pedraza, any of these guys. You name it, I’ll get in there with them.”
Enrique Vivas stopped John Vincent Moralde in a scheduled eight-round featherweight bout.
In the opening seconds, Vivas dropped Moralde with a body shot. Vivas then landed a huge right that drove Moralde back to the ropes. Two hard body shots later sent Mralde down and the fight was stopped at 1:16.
Vivas, 128 lbs of Motebello, CA is 20-1 with 11 knockouts. Moralde, 127 lbs of the Philippines is 23-4.
Quinton Randall won a six-round unanimous decision over Jan Carlos Rivera in a fight featuring undefeated welterweights.
Randall, 147 lbs of Houston, TX won by scores of 59-55 and 58-56 twice and is now 7-0. Vivas, 146 lbs of Puerto Rico is 4-1.
In a battle of undefeated welterweights, 17 year-old Jahi Tucker won a four-round unanimous decision over Charles Garner.
In round two, Garner started bleeding from the nose.
Tucker, 145 lbs of Deer Park, NY won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 2-0. Garner, 142 lbs of Buffalo, NY is 1-1.
