Adam Lopez rode a second half surge to pick up his latest win.
The rugged featherweight outlasted Jason Sanchez in picking up a 10-round majority decision win Saturday evening at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.
Lopez won by scored of 96-94 and 97-93 on two cards, overruling a 95-95 tally turned in by judge Dave Moretti.
Both boxers came out with something to prove on the heels of their previous Bubble appearances. Lopez emerged via majority decision over Luis Coria in their terrific 10-round war last June. The critique from that fight was Lopez making it too hard on himself by not boxing, a flaw which surfaced in the early rounds versus Sanchez who enjoyed success with his left hook throughout the opening frame.
Sanchez took the lead in round two, determined to make a statement following a 10-round loss to featherweight contender Christopher ‘Pitufo’ Diaz in this very venue last June. The Albuquerque native forced an aggressive pace to which Lopez obliged though to the dismay of his corner. Two rounds of trading with Sanchez was enough for Buddy McGirt, a Hall of Fame former two-division champion and renowned trainer to demand that Lopez begin working more behind his jab.
The second-generation boxer from Glendale, California absorbed the advice, not only jabbing his way through the round but also offering angles to slow down Sanchez’s offense. Lopez took the lead in round four, before Sanchez seized control with a straight right hand on the inside.
Sanchez tried to force the action in round five but Lopez quickly adjusted. Both enjoyed success on the inside, with Lopez getting the better of most exchanges as he remembered to return to the jab.
The second half saw Lopez take the lead, no longer allowing Sanchez to outwork him. Sanchez struggled Lopez’s lateral movement and increased workrate, no longer letting his hands go as Lopez was quicker to the draw. A right hand by Lopez had Sanchez buzzed towards the end of the round.
Lopez worked his right hand behind his jab with regularity in round seven. Sanchez barely had a chance to plant his feet and respond by the time Lopez was dipping and avoiding the incoming before setting up his next shot. Sanchez was clipped by a right hand which drew blood.
Sanchez launched a double jab and straight right hand to start round eight. Lopez shook off the blows and charged forward, allowing his infighting skills to avoid getting caught up in a war. A right uppercut by Lopez forced Sanchez to stutter step midway through the round. Lopez connected with a one-two which snapped back the head of Sanchez with 0:40 to go, then coming back to connect with an uppercut and right hand at round’s close.
With the fight slipping away, Sanchez regrouped to enjoy a strong start to round nine. A right hand by the former title challenger clipped Lopez just above the beltline. Lopez resumed control midway through, connecting with a left downstairs and a right hand over the top of Sanchez’s guard.
Lopez spent the first half of the 10th and final round moving around the ring in what seemed like a fight very much on the table for either boxer to that point. Sanchez connected with his jabs and occasional right hands, while Lopez played defense before picking up the pace in the back half of the frame.
Overall, Sanchez was the busier fighter, landing 148-of-636 punches (23%) to 106-of-369 (28%) for Lopez. Still, it was Lopez’s superior ring generalship and more effective shots which determined the outcome.
Sanchez falls to 15-3 (8KOs) with the loss, with all three career defeats now coming in his last four starts. The first defeat came in a 12-round unanimous decision to then-featherweight titlist Oscar Valdez in Jun 2019.
Lopez has now won two straight as he improves to 15-2 (6KOs). The streak comes after a valiant-in-defeat stoppage loss to Valdez, in a fight which he accepted on 24-hours’ notice and managed to floor the former champ in round two before falling behind.
The bout served as the chief support of an ESPN-televised tripleheader, topped by a scheduled 10-round lightweight clash between former titlist Richard Commey (29-3, 26KOs) and contender Jackson Mariñez (19-1, 7KOs).
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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