By Andy Clark
Mikey Garcia secured a 4th round KO victory over Juan Manual Lopez at the American Airlines Centre, Dallas, Texas.
However the victory was tarnished by the former WBO Champion, losing his title on the scales. Garcia had the height, reach and weight advantage over a game Lopez and it didn’t take long for the former champion to extend his unbeaten run to 32-0 (27 KO).
The first round was a relatively quiet round. Both fighters tried to establish their jabs early. Garcia landed numerous solid jabs throughout the round while Lopez struggled to settle into a rhythm. Garcia used his reach well and kept Lopez at bay for most of the round.
Garcia enjoyed a decisive second round, frequently landing his crisp jab, while evading the majority of Lopez’s shots. The fight took a dramatic turn with 50 seconds remaining, when Garcia landed a jab, followed by a solid straight right, which sent Lopez to the canvas. Lopez managed to survive the rest of the round, but seemed unable to turn the fight in his favour.
The third round was less dramatic, with Garcia going back to fighting on the back foot as Lopez tried in vain to take the fight to Garcia.
The fight sparked back into life in the fourth round as Garcia landed another great jab, straight right, which shook Lopez to his core. As Lopez threw caution to the wind, Garcia landed another huge right hand followed by a left hook, which put Lopez on his back. Lopez made it back to his feet but referee Rafael Ramos waived the fight off with one minute twenty six seconds remaining of the 4th round. Lopez record falls to 33-3 (30 KO). While Garcia, in securing his 7th stoppage in a row, looks to a potential move up in weight to Super-Feather.
