By Jhonny Gonzalez
Alex Caraballo, the head coach Juan Manuel "Juanma" Lopez, did not have any excuses as to his boxer's shocking TKO defeat at the hands of Mexico's Orlando Salido. However, Caraballo does believe referee Roberto Ramirez Jr. "rushed" to stop the fight in the eighth round, despite Lopez clearly looking hurt.
"I respect the work of the referee but this was a world title fight. Juanma always knew what was happening and kept throwing punches to avoid the referee from stopping the fight. This was a fight for a more experienced referee," Caraballo told Carlos Gonzalez
As far as the loss, he credits the performance of Salido. He doesn't believe weight struggles or Juanma's personal issues played a role in th outcome.
"It is time to reflect. If anything we are going to make a change for the next fight. [After Lopez went down in round five] our instructions were clear, to move, to box and don't waste punches, but Salido was determined to win the title. It was a bad night for us. [Weight] was not factor, it was not a fluke. It was a bad night," he added
