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Buenos Aires’ Marcelino Lopez scored four knockdowns en route to a 5th round knockout of Jairo ‘Doberman’ Lopez in their furiously paced slugfest Saturday evening at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Mexico’s Lopez was down once each in rounds two, three, four and five. The last of the lot resulted in referee Mark Calo-oy reaching the count of ten at 1:25 of round five.
Marcelino Lopez looked to impose his will early in the contest. The thickly-muscled Argentinean went on the attack, looking to test the heart and will of Jairo Lopez who refused to back down. The Mexican journeyman briefly paid the price for his bravery as he was floored by a left hook in round two, though he beat the count and punched his way back into the fight.
The tide once again shifted in Marcelino Lopez’s favor in round three, twice sending the Mexican veteran to the canvas. Lopez was floored by a clean shot early in the round, only to take a right hand to the back of the head late in the round which was ruled an accidental foul.
Marcelino Lopez scored another knockdown in round four, though much to the dismay of the crowd who supported Jairo Lopez’s argument that he was pushed to the canvas. Argentina’s Lopez ended the round with a crisp left uppercut just before the bell. The momentum would spill over into round five, with Marcelino Lopez scoring another knockdown, this time good enough to end the night.
Argentina’s Lopez improves to 37-2-1 (21KOs), picking up his fifth consecutive win—all by knockout and none lasting longer than six rounds. The bout was his first since a 5th round knockout of Daniel Echeverria at nearby Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie, Texas in Aug. 2019. Mexico’s Lopez falls to 27-12 (18KOs), ending a three-fight win streak.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox