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LOS ANGELES – A prospect promoted by Errol Spence Jr. kicked off his undercard impressively Saturday at Staples Center.
Burley Brooks, a light heavyweight from Dallas, knocked down Fabian Valdez four times before referee Ivan Guillermo stopped their scheduled six-rounder 2:35 into the first round. Brooks (4-0, 4 KOs) dropped Valdez (3-6) with left hands to the body each time that the Mexican veteran went down.
Valdez has lost five of his past six bouts by knockout.
Following Brooks’ knockout, Dallas’ Juan Antonio Lopez scored a mild upset when he defeated Fernando Garcia by unanimous decision in an eight-round featherweight fight.
Lopez (15-7, 6 KOs) was busier and more accurate throughout their bout. He also opened a cut across the bridge of Garcia’s nose with a punch during the fourth round.
Lopez won by scores of 79-73, 79-73 and 77-75.
After winning the first 12 fights of his career, Garcia (12-2, 7 KOs) lost a second straight eight-round decision. In his previous fight, Mexico’s Dennis Contreras (21-10-1, 19 KOs) beat him by majority decision May 25 in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
