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.

LAS VEGAS (September 23, 2020) —The most anticipated fight of the fall — the Oct. 17 lightweight unification showdown between WBC Franchise/WBA/WBO world champion Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko and IBF kingpin Teofimo Lopez from the MGM Grand Las Vegas “Bubble”— now has a two-course televised appetizer befitting the occasion.
 
In the 10-round junior welterweight co-feature, former world title challenger Alex Saucedo will fight unbeaten contender Arnold Barboza Jr.
 
The televised opener will see super middleweight knockout sensation Edgar Berlanga test his perfect record against veteran Lanell Bellows in an eight-rounder. Berlanga (14-0, 14 KOs) has won all 14 of his professional fights by first-round stoppage.
 
Lomachenko-Lopez, Saucedo-Barboza and Berlanga-Bellows will be televised live on ESPN & ESPN Deportes beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
 
“Lomachenko-Lopez promises to be a classic, and the rest of the ESPN-televised card will set the table,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Barboza and Saucedo are players in the deep junior welterweight division, and both men are ferocious competitors. The winner is ready to challenge for a world title. As for Edgar Berlanga, every time he steps in the ring, he impresses me more and more. I haven’t seen a young puncher like him in quite some time.”
 
Saucedo (30-1, 19 KOs), the thunderous slugger from Oklahoma City, has won a pair of fights since falling short to Maurice Hooker in a November 2018 bid for the WBO junior welterweight world title. He is entering his third bout with head trainer Pedro Neme, a union that has paid dividends thus far. Saucedo knocked out Rod Salka in the first round last November and made his “Bubble” debut June 30 with a one-sided decision over Sonny Fredrickson.
 
Barboza (24-0, 10 KOs), from South El Monte, Calif., is a seven-year pro who is ranked in the top 10 by the WBO and WBC at 140 pounds. He graduated from prospect to contender with victories over the likes of Mike Reed, Mike Alvarado and William Silva. He last fought Aug. 29 as the co-feature to the Jose Ramirez-Viktor Postol junior welterweight world title bout and cruised to a one-sided decision over Canadian veteran Tony Luis.
 
“Arnold is a very versatile fighter, so we are preparing for everything,” Saucedo said. “I know it will be hard to steal the show from Lomachenko-Lopez, but I’m coming in to put on a memorable fight for the fans. I feel like people still doubt me from the Maurice Hooker fight, and I can’t wait to show everyone all of my tools.”
 
“This fight, and fighting on such a significant card, means the world to me,” Barboza said. “It’s time to put the 140-pound division on notice. I respect Saucedo, but he’s in my way as I strive to earn a world title opportunity.”
 
Berlanga has combined flash with unique power to earn headlines despite not having seen the second round as a pro. The record for consecutive first-round knockouts to begin a career is 21, held by the late Ali Raymi. Berlanga made his “Bubble” debut on July 21 and stopped Eric Moon in 62 seconds, which equaled the fifth-shortest outing of his career. Bellows (20-5-3, 13 KOs) has never been stopped as a pro and has made his bones testing young prospects. He is coming off a fourth-round stoppage over Malcolm Jones, who entered the fight with a 15-1 record.
 
“I’m dedicating this fight to my family and Puerto Rico. I want to continue to shine like a bright star and carry the flag on my back,” Berlanga said. “Bellows has never been stopped, but I intend to be the first man to stop him. He’s a strong fighter, and I hope to get some rounds in. I want to show that I’m a versatile boxer and not just a puncher. One thing I will guarantee is another explosive performance.”
 
Use the hashtag #LomaLopez to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.