Luis Alberto Lopez was knocked out and stopped Michael Conlan in the fifth round in Belfast, retaining the IBF Featherweight title in the main event.
Lopez (28-2, 16 KOs) and Conlan (18-2, 9 KOs) had a bit of a fight in the first few rounds, but even early Lopez looked more threatening, and after four rounds, Conlan had been shaken several times, so things clearly turned out wrong direction for him.
Conlan’s trainer Adam Booth told him after four rounds that he didn’t like what he was seeing, and then, less than halfway through round five, Conlan was caught dipping in a topcut and hit the deck. The towel came from Booth and Lopez retained his title.
The loss leaves the 31-year-old Conlan 0-2 in world title bouts, and frankly, it seems unlikely he’ll be able to overcome that hump as a professional. He’s a good fighter, but he lacks something at the highest level. He took good shots, but Lopez just grinned, went through them, and smashed Conlan with his unusual angles and rhythms.
Highlights of the Lopez vs Conlan fight
Highlights and scores from the undercard
- Nick Ball TKO-12 Ludumo Lamati: Lamati’s corner threw in the towel in the final round, with the fighter lying in his corner after the fight and being carried out on a stretcher, then immediately sent to the hospital. We haven’t received many updates, but of course the main thoughts are with Lamati.
- Anthony Cacace UD-12 Damian Wrzesinski (116-112, 117-111, 118-111)
