It was one of the better fights of the year so far, when Orlando Salido and Juan Manuel Lopez squared off in ring in San Juan, Puerto Rico March 10. Salido successfully defended his WBO featherweight title in a 10th round knockout of Lopez, but the fight leading up to the knockout was dramatic to say the least.
It started at little slow, but built one round at a time until nearing a peak. The ninth round was especially spectacular, bringing the crowd to their feet and leaving commentators struggling to find the words to express what they were seeing. If you didn't catch this one live, it's definitely worth seeing it delayed.
Salido punctuated his power over Lopez
The 10th round saw Salido attack Lopez with a ferocious combination that held an intense
right uppercut that floored his opponent. Lopez did come to his feet, but was clearly unable to continue.It was the second time in less than a year Salido downed Lopez, who has become a respected fighter with a lot of fans who enjoy his all-out effort. The judges had the fight in a split decision when it was stopped, with scores of 86-84, 86-84, and 85-85. It's hard to say what would have happened had it gone the distance.
Lopez tainted a great performance with whining
Salido made sure that didn't happen, and clearly won the fight. It's too bad Lopez cheapened that with his post-fight comments. What happens before or after the fight shouldn't be the news. That's what happened when Derek Chisora slapped Vitali Klitschko before their fight in February and then made an ass of himself in the press conference after losing the bout. What Lopez said is slightly less idiotic, but almost as damaging to his credibility.
"In the first fight his son (Robert Ramirez Jr.) stopped it," Lopez said, accusing both referees of having gambling problems that influenced the fight. "Now the father stopped it."
Lopez believed he was winning the fight and wanted to keep going. He went on about how he warned the commission about the alleged gambling problem, making some serious accusations. While it could be argued the fight last April was stopped too soon, it's hard to come to the same conclusion about the latest edition.
Jeff Musall has been a fan of quality boxing since he watched the Thrilla in Manila as a kid so many years ago.