Luis Alberto Lopez celebrated the start of the Mexican Independence Day Weekend by holding onto his IBF Featherweight World Title. He went up against Joet Gonzalez on a Friday evening at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Lopez aspired to be the first to finish Gonzalez. However, he faced a tough opponent who pushed forward without hesitation.
From the get-go, Gonzalez targeted Lopez’s body with powerful punches. But, by the third and fourth rounds, Lopez had measured him and started deploying punches from a distance.
Gonzalez maintained a tight defense, making it challenging for Lopez to land his typical dynamic punches. Still, Lopez’s sporadic counter punches ensured Gonzalez didn’t take the lead.
As the fight progressed, Lopez’s energy seemed to wane, prompting Gonzalez to return to his initial strategy of pressing Lopez aggressively.
But, Gonzalez’s efforts were insufficient. Lopez successfully held onto his title with judge scores of 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.
Lopez stated, “I was fully aware of the threat posed by Joet Gonzalez. He’s relentless in his aggression and can take a punch. The aim was clear: he came prepared to steal my title, but my determination to retain it matched his intensity.
“I managed to land some damaging shots, and I noticed their impact. He’s a tough guy, resilient to anything you hurl at him, a true warrior. My hats off to him for that.
“It was an intensely contested battle. Gonzalez was persistent; he was always amoving forward and never retreating. Although it was a challenging fight, I’m confident that I emerged victorious.”
Gonzalez expressed, “I feel the scoring could have been more favorable. I’m genuinely let down by how I performed tonight. Despite full preparations, this is, unfortunately, a big disappointment
“Comparing it to my other championship bouts, I did better in those and took fewer hits. Sure, I landed some decent punches this time, but I know I had the potential to excel far beyond what I showed.”
Meanwhile, Puerto Rican junior middleweight sensation Xander Zayas (17-0, 10 KOs) showcased an impressive fifth-round TKO win over Roberto Valenzuela Jr. (21-5, 20 KOs) in the co-feature of the evening.
Zayas floored Valenzuela with a powerful jab in the first round. Valenzuela managed to get up but faced another knockdown shortly after. In subsequent rounds, Zayas showcased his skills, swiftly delivering combinations from a distance. A solid left in the third round left a cut on Valenzuela’s nose.
Despite the profuse bleeding, the referee, Mark Nelson, let the fight continue. Zayas, however, capitalized on this, repeatedly striking Valenzuela’s injured nose. This aggression led Nelson to end the bout at :42 of the fifth round.
Zayas shared his thoughts, saying, “I noticed his nose wouldn’t stop bleeding. I informed my corner about the severity of his injury. We knew it was just a matter of time before the fight ended. I was here on a mission. I wanted to announce to everyone in the 154-pound division that I’m a force to be reckoned with. He was touted as a heavy hitter, but tonight, I ruled the ring. I now consider myself a top-contender in this division. Once Top Rank offers me the chance, I’m gunning for a world title. Kudos to Roberto; he displayed the heart of a warrior, just as I expected.”