WBO Super Bantamweight Champion, Juan Manuel Lopez (27-0, 24 KO’s), barely survived a war with challenger Rogers Mtagwa (26-13, 18 KO’s) tonight at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, outpointing the challenger in a fight that was far harder than most experts anticipated.
Lopez built up an early lead on the cards, possibly winning all six of the first six rounds, but was unable to stop the challenger, only knocking him down once. In round seven, Mtagwa began to pick up the pace and began to land the right hand at will. Lopez for his part took the shots, but it was clear that he was in trouble. Mtagwa began to wear Lopez down and by the end of round eleven, Lopez was badly hurt. For the twelfth round, Lopez spent his time running from Mtagwa, his energy and spirit clearly gone. There were a few moments when it seemed that Lopez would not make it out of the round, but he managed to stay on his feet to hear the bell.
The judges’ scorecards were originally read as 116-116, 114-113, and 115-111 for Lopez. In fact, one of the scorecards was actually misread; the 116-116 was actually 116-111. Looking at the scorecards, it is clear that the fight was very close and very unlike the blowout most people (including this writer) expected.
Lopez left the ring badly bruised with swelling and a cut around his eyes. It is likely that he will take time off to recover and then plot his next move. Fights with WBA Featherweight Champion Yuriorkis Gamboa or a fight with IBF/WBA Super Bantamweight Champion Cellestino Cabellero are being discussed.
By MAZEN SARWAR
