Puerto Rico’s Juan Manuel Lopez stopped Canadian Olivier Lontchi in the ninth round to retain the WBO junior featherweight title on Saturday.
For Lopez (26-0, 24 KOs), the TKO was his 14th consecutive knockout.
“He was very awkward and very difficult to fight,” Lopez said. “The way he was fighting, he wasn’t really boxing. He was running a lot. I didn’t feel like I was fighting as much as chasing. But I knew my strength would eventually get to him. My power would wear him down.”
The 26-year-old earned the win when Lontchi went to his corner after the ninth round and told trainer Howard Grant he was unable to continue.
“He had a rib injury coming into the fight and he got hit with a bad shot there the round before [the eighth],” Grant said. “He actually wanted me to stop it after the eighth, but I told him to try it for one more round.”
Lopez scored two knockdowns in the scheduled 12-round bout.
He dropped Lontchi for the first time in the second round with a right hook to the side of the head. Early in the ninth, Lontchi walked into a straight left and went down in a heap before rising on unsteady legs.
“He’s a superstar, no question about it,” said Lopez’s promoter, Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum. “I can’t see anybody who can stand up to him in the junior-featherweight or featherweight division.”
Lontchi, a native of Cameroon now living in Montreal, also earned some kudos with a respectable effort. The 26-year-old did not have enough firepower to slow Lopez’s advances, but did his best to frustrate Lopez with an unorthodox style that included steady movement interspersed with occasional flurries.
Lopez, who was defending his title for the fourth time, appeared headed for an easy win when he dropped Lontchi in the second round.
Two rounds later, however, Lontchi began to find the mark with his own punches.
He caught Lopez off-guard with a series of crisp, straight rights that sent sweat flying from Lopez’s brow.
With each passing round, Lontchi gained confidence. Lopez was still in command most of the time, but Lontchi didn’t wilt.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
US President Donald Trump said he would attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but said he does not have much sympathy for ordinary basketball fans who cannot afford sky-high ticket prices to do the same. “They can watch it on television,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Friday as he flew to Wisconsin for an event with farmers, after he was asked about tickets that have climbed as high as US$8,000 each when the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs square off in Manhattan for the first time in the series. “It’s sorta
RSS