By Nick Bellafatto
Before a pro-Garcia crowd at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, the still undefeated Mexican-American Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia (32-0, 27 KO’s) of Oxnard, California would easily pick apart the vulnerable and shot looking Juan Manuel Lopez (33-3, 30 KO’s), finishing off the shaky legged Puerto Rican at 1:35 of round 6.
Dropping the fighter nicknamed “Juanma” in round 2 with a straight right hand, Garcia would for all intensive purposes finish off what was left of Lopez with the same right hand in the sixth, connecting with a solid left hook for good measure on an already out on his feet Lopez that would deposit him to the canvass.
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Too game for his own good, Lopez would rise to his feet and beat the count, of which referee Rafael Ramos would have been castigated had he allowed it to continue. For one look at an unstable but willing Juan Manuel had no less signified he needed to be saved from himself.
And although losing his WBO featherweight title on the scales while having to forfeit the sum of $150,000 just to make this fight happen, the real story here is not about “Mikey” Garcia who had an easy go of it, but rather about “Juanma” himself.
To those in the know, or at least to those with a working pair of eyes, Lopez was coming into this fight damaged goods, this despite back-to-back victories against confidence building nobodies.
Once thought of as the second coming of Tito Trinidad, Wilfredo Gomez, and or other great Puerto Rican pugilists of the past, if Lopez doesn’t receive proper advice from those around him, he will be the second coming of an after the fact Wilfred Benitez.
A Hall of Famer, Benitez in taking too much for too long doesn’t even know he’s in the Hall of Fame, as he is and has been existing in what is a vegetable state.
Not that Lopez even approaches what Benitez was able to accomplish during his fistic career, but the fact remains that Juan Manuel doesn’t have to go that route should somebody in his camp actually care enough to tell him it’s over, something that should’ve already happened. Hopefully a light will turn on somewhere as the man hasn’t hit 30 years of age yet.
In summation, along with whatever else Lopez would receive in addition to the $150,000 forfeiture paid by Garcia, that money would serve him well in his search for a new occupation. I’ve met Lopez and he’s an upright individual despite his outrageous and unsubstantiated claims against referee’s Roberto Ramirez Sr. and Jr. That was just one more sign he needs to part ways with the sport of boxing.
Crawford stops Sanabria in Six
Undefeated junior welterweight Terence Crawford (21-0, 16 KO’s) of Omaha, Nebraska is not only starting to become a known quantity in the boxing world, but he looks to be headed straight towards the top. Methodically breaking down skilled but obscure Erik Morales sign-on Alejandro Sanabria (34-2-1, 25 KO’s) from both the southpaw and orthodox stance, Terence needed all of ten seconds of round six to send the Mexican National packing.
Although somewhat competitive early on, Sanabria would prove no match for Crawford who not only demonstrated he’s a skillful technician, but that he could bring it as well, finishing off his adversary with a smashing lead left hook.
This goes without saying that Crawford would take a few hard shots himself, not so much as even flinching, all the while effectively mixing his attack up and down just like you draw it up. Bottom line is that this kid is solidly grounded in the fundamentals of the sport, much as are boxing’s best in comparison to those who fail to consistently execute the basics, to therefore reside at the lower levels.
Stated the victor, “I had to take what was given. I seen that he wasn’t going to come to me so I had to come to him. I feel I can get aggressive, I feel like I can box, I feel like I can do anything in the ring,” and “of course I’m always willing to make a statement,”
