By Jake Donovan
Two time title challenger Sebastian Lujan kept his hopes alive for another crack at the big time after breaking down Colombian journeyman Jalier “Reggaeton” Berrio en route to a fifth round stoppage Friday night at Estadio U.T.N. in Santa Fe, Argentina.
Lujan, fighting at home for the fourth straight time, weighed in at 146 ¼, while Berrio came in slightly lighter at 144 ½ for their Telefutura-televised welterweight battle.
The pace of the bout was not unlike the infamous children’s tale of the tortoise versus the hare. The younger Barrios came out boxing in the early going, believing he would tire out his veteran opponent, believed to have seen better days.
For what it’s worth, Lujan didn’t exactly bear the look of a wily veteran at bout’s start. His straightforward brawling style appeared to be no match for Berrio’s slickness as the first couple of rounds saw the Colombian enjoying success largely on the strength of a jab, speed and maintaining the proper distance.
What was lacking was the ability to lay hands on Lujan, something that would ultimately change the outcome of the fight.
Lujan closed the gap in the third round, scoring with body shots and the occasional flurry upstairs. Much of the round was a mauling affair fought in the inside, greatly favoring the 30-year old Argentinean.
The round proved to be a game changer, even if not very much took place. Berrio suddenly crawled into his shell, refusing to engage in two-way combat when the bout called for it. Lujan sensed hesitation from his foe and wasted no time turning the fight into a brawl, without any fear whatsoever of the incoming.
Body shots would be the theme in the closing minutes of the fight. Berrio hit the deck twice in the fourth, once from an accumulation of punches downstairs in the final minute of the round. He beat the count, but a left hook to the liver forced him to a knee just moments later, though he was able to make it out of the round.
All it earned him was a rest in between rounds before being sent back out for more. Lujan sensed wounded prey and swooped in with a combination upstairs to send Berrio down for the third time in the fight, just seconds into the fifth round.
Once again, the count would only get to eight before the third man allowed the action to resume. In came Lujan, who swung away at the body before Berrio was forced to a knee. The referee was a little late in jumping in, allowing Lujan to put a cherry on top, though missing with a final right hand. It mattered little as the referee had seen enough, waving off the fight without issuing another count.
The official time was 0:40 of the fifth round.
Lujan picks up his seventh straight win, though just his first knockout in more than two years as he improves to 33-5-2 (21KO). The Argentinean has come a long way since literally having his ears (or at least ear) boxed off by Antonio Margarito more than five years ago.
In a career that’s not quite as flourishing, Berrio returns to his native Colombia with his fourth loss in just seven fights, as he falls to 19-7 (11KO), Like most untested Colombians, a grand total of zero wins have come against credible opposition (excluding a very shot version of former featherweight title challenger Jose Badillo), having fallen considerably short every time he’s stepped up in competition.
Undefeated prospect Marcelino Nicolas Lopez was given perhaps more of a fight than he expected in barely taking a majority decision over countryman Alberto Leopoldo Santillan in their 10-round lightweight battle.
Scores were 96-94 and 97-94 for Lopez and 95-95.
Both fighters had their moments throughout the briskly paced contest, but Lopez’ overall aggression proved to be the difference at the end of the night. Santillan was superb in the role of counter puncher, but just couldn’t mount enough of a sustained attack to pull off the upset.
Lopez, who has dramatically stepped up his level of competition in his past two fights, improves to 18-0 (7KO).
Heading in the opposite direction, Santillan falls to 16-5 (5KO), having now lost four of his last five, including two straight majority decisions.
The show was presented by Golden Boy Promotions.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
