By Associated Press
Juan Manuel Lopez knocked out Steven Luevano in the seventh round last night, using a brutal left hook to claim the WBO title in the main event of a featherweight doubleheader at Madison Square Garden’s Wamu Theater in New York.
Earlier in the night, rising star Yuriorkis Gamboa defended his WBA belt with a sensational second-round knockout of rugged challenger Rogers Mtagwa.
Lopez had been taken the distance by Mtagwa in his last fight in October, one he was on the cusp of losing several times. The junior featherweight champion moved up to challenge Luevano and was simply overwhelming at 126 pounds.
JuanMa staggered the champion early in the seventh before finally trapping Luevano against the ropes, unleashing a combination capped by a flush left near the corner. Luevano staggered to his feet by the count of 10, but referee Benji Esteves wisely waved it off.
Luevano (37-2-1), who defended his title five times, struggled to keep his distance against the hard-charging Lopez. He’s a counter-puncher by nature and never had a chance to throw a counter, wilting under JuanMa’s intense pressure.
Gamboa (17-0, 15 KOs) ran roughshod through Mtagwa in an electrifying display.
The 2004 Olympic gold medalist from Cuba did damage with his first blow, a counter-punching left that stunned Mtagwa in the middle of the ring. Gamboa then knocked the granite-chinned Mtagwa down with 15 seconds left in the round, and the Tanzanian-born challenger never looked the same.
Gamboa dumped him again midway through the second round with devastating combinations, finishing the fight moments later when Mtagwa (26-14-2) was unable to get himself into a clinch to buy time.
“We knew he was fast but we felt we could handle his speed,” Mtagwa’s trainer Joe Parella said. “The game plan was to go three rounds, battle through it, but Mtagwa got caught early.”
It’s no secret that Top Rank has been trying to build toward a fight between Lopez and Gamboa, putting them on the same card for the second straight time. It would be an exciting matchup between two of the sport’s rising stars, and one Gamboa said he’s ready to take.
Viloria collapses
American Brian Viloria collapsed in his dressing room and was hospitalized for apparent exhaustion soon after he was knocked out by challenger Carlos Tamara in a title fight in Manila, Philippines. Viloria won’t be cleared by doctors to fly home for at least 10 days, and he will need to return to the hospital to ensure there is no latent brain swelling, his manager Gary Gittelsohn told The Associated Press.
All tests came back negative on Viloria. Referee Bruce McTavish stopped the fight 1:45 into the 12th round.
. . .
Spanish boxer Pablo Navascues has lost his chance of fighting Sebastian Sylvester for the IBF middleweight title after failing a doping test during training.
Berlin-based promoter Sauerland Event said on its Web site that Navascues tested positive for banned substances during a random test earlier this month.
© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: news.bostonherald.com
No comments:
Post a Comment