Another fight, another knockout victory for Teofimo Lopez



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NEW YORK – Lightweight Teofimo Lopez Jr., the ESPN 's 2018 hope of the year, has become a contender and has shown Saturday night.

Lopez won the body shot of former world title challenger and former European double champion Edis Tatli in the fifth round of Top Rank Boxing co-feature on the ESPN PPV card, titled by Terence Crawford-Amir Khan. undercard on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

"I did not have the best camp, but I did what I had to do and I came out victorious," said Lopez, who plans to get married next week. "I knew I was going to take it with a body, I softened it and finished it, the takeover is here, man."

Lopez let some combinations start in the second round, landing right and left to force Tatli to return. Tatli shook his head as though he was not hurt but the blows settled solidly.

Resistant to Las Vegas and from New York, Lopez (13-0, 11 KO), 21, an Olympian for the country of his parents, Honduras, began to connect more neatly in the fourth round. He landed combinations and had Tatli in some problems and tries to hold on.

In the fifth round, Lopez continued to press and then landed a right hand on the damaged body. Tatli dropped to one knee with a grin on his face and took full count of referee Rom Lipton at 1 minute 32 seconds.

Lopez, who will return in July in a main event, called on unified lightweight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KO's), who saved his belt last week. It's just a question of whether Lomachenko and his promoter, Top Rank, want to make the match. But before this fight has any serious chances to be made, Lopez will probably have to win a first world title, which is exactly what he wants.

"I want a world title afterwards, that's what I want." We promised to take over the series and, again, I took it back, "Lopez said. "I'm ready for [world titlist] Richard Commey or the [potentially vacant] WBC title. As long as it's for a title, I'm ready to go. Nobody can take my power. "

Tatli (31-3, 10 KOs), 31, of Finland, had never been stopped in his previous defeats, which included a fight for the world title against Richar Abril in 2014.


Stevenson defeats Diaz

Featherweight Shakur Stevenson, the 2016 US silver medalist and one of Boxing's hottest hopefuls, pushed Top Rank to confront him with tougher opposition because he had no interest in a long apprenticeship before fighting for important titles.

Thus, the company, while admitting that it was a bit nervous, significantly strengthened its opposition by comparing it to former lightweight world title challenger Christopher "Pitufo" Diaz, who had returned to the featherweight at the end from last year. No nerve was needed because Stevenson had dominated Diaz as he was about to make an unbalanced decision: 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92. ESPN also had 100-90 for Stevenson.

"I do not take anything away from Christopher Diaz – he's an excellent fighter, but I came in order to get him out of the box, and that's exactly what I did." "said Stevenson.

The advantage of Stevenson's speed was evident from the start and it was much faster. Stevenson (11-0, 6 KOs), a 21-year-old southpaw left the shots in the third round, nailing Diaz (24-2, 16 KOs), 24, of Puerto Rico, with quick shots and hands straight in front of him seemed to know what was hitting him. He did more or less the same turn after lap against Diaz, who could not be offended at all and who was getting hit on everything.

According to CompuBox, Stevenson landed 165 shots on 445 (37%) and Diaz only 76 out of 345 (22%).

Stevenson faces a battery charge in Miami related to a brawl in a parking garage, but if the situation recedes in the coming months, he could return to fight in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, for the first time as a professional in the sector. Top Rank: Boxing on ESPN card on July 13th. Stevenson will not have a fight for the title next, but he wants one.

"Listen, I want all the champions to weigh 126 pounds, Josh Warrington is someone I want to fight, I'm ready," Stevenson said.


Verdejo tip Vasquez

Felix Verdejo, the legendary Puerto Rican of 2014, did not meet expectations, but was looking to regain his stature against Bryan Vasquez, the former Interim Acting Lightweight Champion, in the A La Carte Match.

That's what he did in a unanimous victory over Vasquez, the best opponent of his career. Verdejo won 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93.

"It was an honor for me to get a big win in front of my fans at Madison Square Garden," Verdejo said. "I defeated a great fighter in Vasquez, I worked hard for this fight, the hitting and beating in the body was the key."

The Verdejo jab was indeed strong and Vasquez (37-4, 20 KOs) was struggling to pass over with nothing significant. Verdejo suffered a cut to the left eye in the fourth round, but it was unclear whether it was because of a whim.

In the fifth round, Verdejo (25-1, 16 KOs), 25, Puerto Rican Olympian in 2012, had a big right hand to the head and also worked the body while he was forcing Vasquez, 31, of the Costa Rica, a tightrope. . Later in the round, he received a mortal blow to the body and a right hand to the head. In the seventh round, a right hand sent Vasquez into the ropes, but reacted well and seemed to win the rest of the round while he landed several times.

Verdejo had a very good ninth round, seemingly finding a second wind and landing several times on his right side.

Verdejo, who has struggled with injuries and questions about his coaching commitment, has won his second consecutive fight since losing to Antonio Lozada in his eighth qualifying round 13 months ago.

"I will continue to work harder and harder to get better," Verdejo said. "I'm looking for an opportunity soon for a world title."


Adames demolishes Galarza

Junior middleweight Carlos Adames put Frank Galarza aside in a powerful fourth-round knockout. "It was a message to every 154 pounds I want to face all the best," said Adames. "I'm getting hungry and I'm determined to fight for a world title by the end of the year, I do not care who has a title, I want it."

Adames (17-0, 14 KOs), 24, from the Dominican Republic, who signed with Top Rank last year after drawing the attention of company officials after giving a quality fight at Crawford, dominated the fight, which was the first under the tutelage. of the famous coach Robert Garcia.

"I think Robert Garcia will make the most of me," said Adames. "I felt good with him, he said I won the fight and he told me to put pressure on him because he was ready to leave."

Adames, who looked much bigger than Galarza, threw an assortment of powerful punches throughout the fight to force Galarza back. In the fourth round, he grabbed Galarza with a left hook that slammed him back against the ropes about 30 seconds after the start of the round. He beat the count, but Adames was on him. He discharged many unanswered punches, including an angled right that shook him. While he continued shooting with abandon, referee Benjy Esteves stepped in to stop the fight at 1 minute and 7 seconds.

Galarza (20-3-2, 12 KO), 33, of Brooklyn, has had a series of consecutive victories in which three victories have passed. His only previous defeats were won by unified world title holder Jarrett Hurd – before his victory – and former world champion Ishe Smith in consecutive bouts in 2015 and 2016.


Berlanga stops Barbosa on lap 1

The 21-year-old Puerto Rican midfielder Edgar Berlanga (10-0, 10 KO) of Brooklyn, New York, kept up the momentum by winning all of his bouts by knockout in the first round by stopping Samir Barbosa (37). -16-3, 26 KO). ), 38, from Brazil, in the first round of their eight rounds. It was Berlanga's first fight since signing with Top Rank and he managed to break through Barbosa in just 46 seconds. Berlanga had made Barbosa tremble after a series of punches, but when he violently shook with a right right hand along the ropes, referee Eddie Claudio stepped in and interrupted the fight.

"I know this will open up many opportunities for me," said Berlanga. "I want to make the pride of my compatriots in Brooklyn and Puerto Rico."


Deep fryers dominate Polley

Junior welterweight Larry Fryers (10-1, 3 KO), 28, from Ireland, fighting in New York, won an exhausting decision against Dakota Polley (5-3, 2 KO's), 20 years old from St. Joseph, Missouri. Fryers won 60-53 on all three scorecards. Polley lost one point for the sixth round. It was a fight in which Fryers' right eye became black and blue and was a swollen disorder. Polley looked even worse after suffering a cut in the right eye from an accidental whiplash in the fifth round.


Krishan wins big

Middleweight Vikas "The Indian tank" Krishan (2-0, 1 KO), a two-time Olympian in India, won an unbalanced decision against Noah Kidd (3-2-1, 2 KO) who seemed much harder as the scorecards. indicated. He won 60-54, 60-54 and 59-55, but was hit by a lot of net shots. The most decorated amateur boxer in Indian history, Krishan, 27, signed with Top Rank last fall and won his professional debut in the round of 16 on Jan. 18. But Kidd, 23, of Jefferson City, Missouri, gave him a tough fight, including an opening on his right eye in the fifth round.


Newton beats Garza by unanimous decision

Cockweight Lawrence Newton (12-0, 7 KO), 22, from Boynton Beach, Florida, Crawford staff member and also coached by Brian McIntyre, routed Jonathan Garza (7-3, 2 KO ), 22, from Lawrenceville, Georgia, on the underlying Terence Crawford-Amir Khan map on Saturday. Newton won 60-54, 59-55 and 59-55.

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