Abraham Lopez (19-0-1, 14KOs) didn’t need all 10 rounds to take out his opponent Jorge Diaz in the main event of Golden Boy’s card on Fox Deportes in front of fans at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, California. However, he utilized as many rounds as possible without going the distance.
The first round was quite competitive as Diaz crashed in and made Lopez feel uncomfortable. The strategy allowed Diaz to land several shots on Lopez whose defense was opened up to receive hard shots. Lopez never really picked up his right hand, but he out muscled Diaz in a fire fight and landed a hard right hand that caused his opponent to go down to a knee.
Diaz(18-3-1) received a 10 count, although his knee barley grazed the floor. Still, it was a legit knockdown.
The knockdown gave Lopez all kinds of confidence. He fell back into rhythm, but Diaz never let him stay comfortable. It was clear that Lopez was the better puncher and all around better fighter, but Diaz was tactical as Lopez was forced to keep his distance.
Lopez was economical with the moments he chose to attack, but he once he decided to let his hands go he would unleash vicious flurries. Those punches landed hard, but to Diaz’s credit he ate them well.
Mouth pieces were flying in the 4th round as both men landed hard shots. Diaz was certainly there to be hit while Lopez was only being touched after he did his damage – failing to keep his right hand up at all times.
Lopez continued to dominate throughout the fight. He turned the pressure on in the 7th, and even though he was still being hit with a little too much frequency, he was still absolutely separating himself in the fight.
Sensing his opponent was getting worn down, Lopez started headhunting in the 8th round – attacking Lopez with hard uppercuts that, to the surprise of most, Diaz was continuing to eat.
The 9th round was a continuance of Lopez’s dominance. Diaz was no longer in position to win the fight on the scorecards and he certainly wasn’t doing anything in the ring to suggest a major comeback. If anything, he was surviving with less and less of his health in tack after every passing round.
Lopez was in front and making Diaz pay, which is why referee Jack Reiss decided to call a halt to the bout in between rounds 9 and 10. Lopez earned the referee stoppage, but he will have to work on his defense for the next outing. Regardless, he was certainly impressive from the offensive side of things.
In the evening’s co-feature, Roy Tapia absolutely destroyed Juan Luis Hernandez in the 3rd round of their scheduled 8 rounder. Tapia stalked and battered his opponent in the couple of rounds leading up to the stoppage. Hernandez was outclassed and outmatched completely, and Tapia made short work by doing what he had to do.
