Teofimo Lopez gets outboxed but still wins decision to retain title

Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) defended his WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight world titles with a unanimous decision win over Jamaine Ortiz (17-2-1, 8 KOs) Thursday evening at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Lopez was the aggressor, while Ortiz employed a cautious strategy that resulted in exchanges that were few and far between.

Ortiz, who normally fights from an orthodox stance, boxed from the outside as a southpaw, using footwork and jabs to set up quick counters. Lopez pushed forward, bursting with jabs and right hands, though he had difficulty cutting off the ring, especially following the third and fourth rounds.

In the seventh round, a clash of heads caused a cut on Ortiz’s left eyebrow, and he seemed to slow down. But Ortiz continued to pepper shots from a distance, while Lopez accelerated his offense.

One judge scored the bout 117-111, and the other two had it 115-113. Lopez swept the final three rounds on all three judges’ cards.

Lopez said, "I tried my best for the people. I even tried to box going backward, and he didn’t want to commit.

“Glory is next for me. None of these guys want to fight me. I’ll fight {Terence} Crawford at a catchweight. I’m here. I’m ready. I’ve always been ready.  I’m younger, prettier, and a two-time unified champion at 25.

“We’re talking about a lightweight {Keyshawn Davis}. He hasn’t done anything. Just like Vasiliy Lomachenko told me: If you want to fight me, you’ve got to get a world title. If you want to fight the king, get a world title.”

Ortiz said, “I stuck to the game plan. I was listening to my corner and my team. I was doing good. I thought I was winning. That’s what I believe. I believe I won the fight. What can I say? I came up short once again.

“I just felt like he couldn’t hit me. I was making him miss all night. I was countering. I was making him miss. I was hitting him with the jab and the check hook. I just felt like he wasn’t landing any shots on me.”

“I always stay true to who I am. But we’ll go back to the drawing board, make some adjustments, and come back for a title shot.”

Davis Puts Lightweight Division on Notice

Keyshawn Davis (10-0, 7 KOs) made a statement tonight.

The 24-year old Olympic silver medalist earned his most important victory yet by vanquishing former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza (29-6-1, 14 KOs) via sixth-round TKO.

After studying Pedraza for two rounds, Davis kicked his offense into high gear, using lead left hands to prepare vicious fusillades in the third and fourth rounds. Pedraza survived, so Davis boxed on the outside in the fifth. But he reinitiated his attack in the sixth, landing several combos before forcing referee Tom Taylor to stop the fight. 

Davis said, “Throughout this whole training camp, I’ve been saying that I’m the best at 135. Everyone kept saying, ‘You’ve got to get the stoppage. You’ve got to get the knockout.’ But I told everyone to not worry about it and just watch me work. And that’s exactly what happened. I got the stoppage.

“Teofimo has been doing a lot of talking lately. I’ll go up to 140 and fight Teofimo. What’s up?! Get this win tonight. You already know how I’m coming. You and your father. So, let’s set it up. I’l come straight to 140. Let’s go! And if you’re scared, Teofimo, then {Emanuel} Navarrete. He is a hell of a fighter. It would be an honor to get in the ring with you after you capture the WBO title. So let’s do it."

Lightweight: Mexican warrior Rene Tellez Giron (19-3, 12 KOs) overcame height and reach disadvantages to upset George Acosta (17-2, 3 KOs) via eight-round unanimous decision. Acosta tried his best to keep Giron off him, but Giron closed the distance and landed several punches in the second and third rounds. Giron landed a right hook in the fifth that floored Acosta, who survived an onslaught to the body before the two went toe-to-toe in the final rounds. Scores: 79-72, 78-73 and 76-75.

Middleweight: Javier Martinez (10-0-1, 3 KOs) notched an eight-round unanimous decision win against Raul Salomon (12-3, 10 KOs). Martinez used a high guard to defend against Salomon as he pushed forward. Both found their rhythm in the center of the ring by the middle rounds, where Martinez landed power shots to the head and body with ease on an unrelenting Salomon. Scores: 79-73 and 78-74 2x.

Lightweight: Abdullah Mason (12-0, 10 KOs) had his first scheduled eight-rounder tonight, but he only needed two rounds to obliterate the previously unbeaten Benjamim Gurment (8-1-3, 5 KOs). After dropping him with a series of shots, Mason landed a counter left hand that immediately floored the Texas hopeful. Time of stoppage: 1:29.

Lightweight: Charlie Sheehy (9-0, 5 KOs) remained undefeated with an eight-round points verdict over rugged Mexican Abdel Sauceda (12-4, 8 KOs). Sheehy maintained distance with sharp jabs and quick footwork. Saucedo came on strong in the final two rounds, but it was not enough to win a single round. Scores: 80-72 3x.

Lightweight: Alan "Kid Kansas" Garcia (11-0, 9 KOs) dropped Tomas Ornelas (7-4, 5 KOs) with left hook to the temple before ending the fight with a rib-shattering left hook to the body at :51 of the first round.

Heavyweight: Lemir Isom-Riley (4-2, 2 KOs) upset hometown favorite Antonio Zepeda (6-2, 6 KOs) via third-round TKO. Zepeda took a pair of knees in the third after appearing to suffer an injury. Time of stoppage: 1:28.
 
Junior Welterweight: Art Barrera Jr. (3-0, 3 KOs), the latest fistic prodigy to come out of the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, scored a first-round KO win over Michael Portales (3-3-1, 1 KO). Time of stoppage: 1:41.