IBF Featherweight Challenge
Tonight’s Top Rank/BT Sport/ESPN + Main Event was a showcase type of an event by the visiting IBF Featherweight Champion Luis Alberto Lopez (28-2, 16 Kos) who came down to defend his Championship Belt on foreign ground against challenger Michael Conlan (18-2, 9 Kos) at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The pro Conlan crowd in attendance soon found out that Lopez was not someone to be taken lightly inside that squared circle. Lopez came out the gate looking for that smoke and proceeded to press the action but Conlan stood his ground as best he could and boxed and moved and attempted to make things quite interesting at times with a very effective and active jab. However, the pressure Lopez was applying round by round was noticeably taxing on Conlan and it was only a matter of time before the inevitable occurred.
That being said, by the fifth round the heavier fisted Lopez landed a perfectly placed right uppercut straight to the chin of Conlan that dropped him lifeless to the ground for the count which then prompted Conlan’s corner to throw in the towel signalling the referee to halt the bout.
This was a statement bout for Lopez who walked it like he talked it by sticking to the script and making sure the Judges at hand were not needed by knocking out Conlan senseless and retaining his IBF Featherweight Championship.
The other Champions in the Featherweight Division need to keep a close eye on this dude as he said it loud and clear that he’s coming for all of them one by one.
Congratulations Luis Alberto Lopez on another destructive statement.
Blaze