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WBO champion earns punishing TKO
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ATLANTIC CITY - WBO junior-featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez took a different path to victory at Boardwalk Hall's Adrian Phillips Ballroom late Saturday night.
Instead of relying on his usual one-punch power to flatten his opponent, the Puerto Rican slugger beat up Olivier Lontchi to the point where Lontchi just could not take any more punishment. Lopez retained his title with a TKO after Lontchi declined to come out for the 10th round in the scheduled 12-round bout.
"He's very powerful and he hits hard," said Lontchi, a native of Cameroon who now lives in Canada. "He hit me really hard in the ribs earlier in the fight and it really hurt me. I have to give him a lot of credit."
After the ninth round, Lontchi's trainer, Howard Grant, informed referee Alan Huggins that his fighter could not continue. Huggins waved his arms to signal an end to the bout, thereby touching off a wild celebration in the stands.
It was the end of an intriguing fight that lacked excitement but enabled both boxers to showcase their all-around skills. Lontchi (18-1-2, 8 KOs) sought to avoid Lopez's power shots by sliding along the ropes while Lopez gave chase.
Unlike some knockout artists, Lopez (26-0, 24 KOs) did not lose his composure. He dropped Lontchi in the second and ninth rounds, respectively, but also piled up points with crisp combinations and body shots that seemed to drain Lontchi's stamina as the fight progressed.
"It was a difficult fight because of the way he ran all the time," Lopez said through a translator. "They are the kind of fights that can make you look bad, but I didn't let it affect me. I look at it as a great learning experience. Fans have to understand that some fights don't finish in the first or second round."
Lopez's fans did not seem to mind Saturday. The ballroom was half-empty, but the arena was still plenty noisy. The crowd screamed "JuanMa, JuanMa" throughout the fight and waved large Puerto Rican flags in support of their favorite fighter.
Lopez trails welterweight slugger Miguel Cotto as Puerto Rico's most popular boxer, but the 25-year-old is steadily closing the gap. His bubbly personality and hard-hitting style has made him a rising star.
"I was pleasantly surprised at Lopez's fan base," Harrah's Entertainment consultant Ken Condon said. "The crowd wasn't huge, but he had a lot of support. He certainly has the potential to be a big draw for Atlantic City."
Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), who has fought three times at Boardwalk Hall since 2005, is also a top drawing card, though his next big fight, against Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 27 KOs), is scheduled for Las Vegas in November.
Lopez could also work his way into the rotation at Boardwalk Hall's main arena. He is scheduled to fight on a smaller card in New York on Sept. 26 with an eye toward a showdown next year against interim WBA featherweight champ Yuiorkis Gamboa (15-0, 13 KOs). Gamboa, another Top Rank fighter, won the gold medal for Cuba in the 2004 Olympics.
"I was very impressed with Lopez," Condon said. "We're always on the lookout for promising young fighters who have a strong East Coast following and he definitely has the potential to do that."
Punchlines: Boxing returns to Atlantic City on July 31, when Vineland promoter Diane Lee Fischer brings a card to Resorts Hotel Casino for the first time since 2003. Camden light-heavyweight Prince-Badi Ajamu (26-3-1, 15 KOs) will meet Dallas Vargas (22-4, 16 KOs), of Toledo, Ohio, in the 12-round main event. Several local fighters, including super-flyweight Qa'id Muhammad (4-0, 4 KOs), light-heavyweight Lavarn Harvell (3-0), super-middleweight Joel De La Paz (2-0, 1 KO) and super-middleweight Eugene Soto (1-0) are scheduled for the undercard. Tickets are priced from $40 to $90 and are available at Resorts or through Ticketmaster.
Philadelphia promoter Russell Peltz is having a show at Bally's Atlantic City on Aug. 8. The twice-postponed fight between Philadelphia welterweight Mike Jones (17-0, 15 KOs) and Larry Mosley (15-3-2, 6 KOs) is slated for the main event. Somers Point middleweight Patrick Majewski (11-0, 7 KOs), Atlantic City lightweight Osnel Charles (1-0) are on the undercard. Lower Township welterweight Josh Mercado will make his pro debut.
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Posted in Sports, Boxing on Monday, June 29, 2009 12:05 am Updated: 12:10 am.
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