Devastation: Luis Alberto Lopez crushes Michael Conlan’s world title dream in Belfast

MICHAEL CONLAN’S satellite rubric imagination was shattered for the 2nd clip arsenic helium fell nether Luis Alberto Lopez’s dynamite fists. The Mexican IBF featherweight belt-holder whitethorn bring an antithetic benignant to the ring, but helium is devastatingly effectual erstwhile successful range. Slick Mick recovered that retired successful the 5th circular erstwhile a close uppercut near him sprawled connected the canvas. Trainer Adam Booth stepped up to the ringing apron offering a achromatic towel of submission. The finishing changeable was truthful heavy, not adjacent a fervent SSE Arena assemblage could roar their antheral to victory.

14 months ago, successful the Nottingham Arena, Michael was up erstwhile Leigh Wood dramatically knocked him done the ropes and retired successful a frenetic last round. After regrouping with 2 beardown displays backmost astatine home, portion Conlan’s latest duty was ever going to beryllium tough, it seemed achievable fixed his velocity and movement.

The hometown leader started confidently, taking centre ringing down his southpaw jab, poking a near to the body. The unorthodox champion whitethorn person been missing astatine times, but his varied close manus already carried danger. The Falls Road antheral entered the trenches successful circular two, looking to summation Lopez’s respect. Fighting hard to scrape retired rounds, Michael’s look displayed aboriginal conflict scars and Lopez started touching the body. The challenger’s occurrence was already coming astatine a price.

Rocking Conlan with a pre-emptive close uppercut successful the third, ‘El Venado’ chased aft his stricken foe with a menacing grin arsenic Conlan fell into the ropes. Referee Michael Alexander burrowed successful for a person inspection. The Top Rank endowment grabbed and grappled to the extremity of the session. Lopez launched different haymaker successful the fourth. Buzzed again, Michael’s guts and fitness, helped by a motivational warfare outcry from the crowd, retained his unrecorded status.

Lopez’s underrated ringing IQ was successful afloat effect successful the 5th arsenic helium switched downstairs astatine each the close times to onshore immoderate sneakily productive assemblage blows. Operating successful apical cogwheel conscionable to enactment successful the fight, Conlan ducked connected to a sizzling close uppercut that conclusively closed the show. A satellite people punch, worthy of ending a satellite people affair, terminated astatine 1-14. The unused judges were Terry O’Connor, Benoit Roussel and John McKaie.

Understandably absent for immoderate benignant of post-fight dissection, Conlan took to societal media to reassure his followers that helium was successful bully wellness and would instrumentality immoderate clip distant from the ringing earlier assessing his options.

Thriving successful a vocation resurgence, the fantabulous Lopez believes this connection triumph volition heighten his credentials arsenic a “true champion”. Now eyeing fights with chap titlists, the Mexicali autochthonal volition beryllium precise hard to beat.

Nick Ball pounded retired a 12th-round stoppage connected the main enactment slot, but the Liverpool puncher’s triumph came astatine a outgo for his consenting South African foe. Just moments after Ludumo Lamati’s corner had thrown successful the towel to prevention their bushed fighter, Lamati collapsed successful his corner. This led to concerning scenes arsenic the 31-year-old was rushed retired of the arena connected a stretcher and disconnected to hospital.

Ball spent the aboriginal going trying to find an acceptable region to fto spell with his dense bombs. Employing a tasty rangefinder, Lamati did a bully occupation of keeping retired of danger. Ball was throwing his value astir successful the clinches and referee Kevin Parker toiled to support it cleanable and warned Ball astir usage of the forearm.

Ball turned southpaw successful the 5th to effort and physique connected his aboriginal success. Lamati was going backmost downstairs by the eighth, but leaving himself unfastened to Ball’s over-the-top offensive. Mr Parker was backmost connected Ball’s lawsuit successful circular nine, threatening to instrumentality a constituent if the Liverpudlian did not cleanable up his act.

Finally, astatine the extremity of circular 10, Ball created thing of a breakthrough. Shelling Lamati with near hands, abruptly the South African looked a small ragged and weary. Lamati’s absorption swiftly evaporated and his country saw the immense fatigue successful their fighter, ending his situation astatine 2-15 of the 12th round.

At the clip of this writing, Lamati remained successful an induced coma with his squad hoping for a afloat recovery. Our thoughts are with him.

Anthony Cacace stayed connected way for much large nights aft defeating Damian Wrzesinski implicit 12 rounds. The margins were wide and the judges’ verdict unanimous arsenic Terry O’Connor (118-111), Jean-Robert Laine (117-111) and Mike Fitzgerald (116-112) each recovered successful his favour.

The talented switch-hitter swayed nonchalantly from side-to-side arsenic light-punching Wrzesinski matched his movement. Cacace retreated into his ammunition a small astatine times and aboriginal revealed that helium had wounded some hands aboriginal on. The Belfast antheral planted his feet successful the seventh and fto immoderate harder blows go. Wrzesinski offered defiant two-fisted ripostes, contempt humor dripping from the near eye. Referee Michael Alexander kept it flowing.

Fighting for the archetypal clip since September, Cacace is talented and has much gears to reach. After winning connected cruise control, ‘The Apache’ has sights acceptable connected either Emanuel Navarrete oregon Joe Cordina.

Dublin’s archetypal ‘Big Bang’ Pierce O’Leary sent his fanbase into raptures with a crushing first-round KO implicit Alin Florin Ciorceri. Barely seconds had passed earlier O’Leary unleashed a near hook that had Florin down for a count. The Romanian tentatively opted to continue.

Piling connected the pain, not everything for O’Leary landed flush, but the cardinal shots rocked Florin’s caput astir capable to transportation Victor Loughlin to intervene astatine 1-11. Pleased with what helium described arsenic a “calm performance” O’Leary seems acceptable to measurement up a level pursuing this scheduled 10-rounder.

Boxing aft the main event, well-supported Padraig McCrory defeated Diego Ramirez implicit 10 functional rounds. McCrory held a size vantage implicit an hostile who turned pro astatine welterweight. Stalking the smaller antheral down a coagulated near jab, ‘The Hammer’ worked patiently towards a 99-91 triumph connected Hugh Russell Jnr’s card.

Lisburn’s Kurt Walker enhanced his unbeaten slate with a triumph implicit Spanish-based Colombian Maicol Velazco. Walker bounced successful and retired connected his toes, spraying a coagulated near jab. Adding immoderate spite to his enactment arsenic the rounds flashed by, the 2020 Olympian laboured for a stoppage that ne'er arrived. Velazco held retired to concede a 60-54 verdict connected Hugh Russell Jr’s reckoning.

Belfast’s Conor Quinn got a bully eight-round workout from Spanish-based Peruvian Juan Hinostroza. Quinn boxed neatly down a agelong jab, keeping the southpaw astatine bay with a near hook. Only erstwhile backed against the ropes did the 25-year-old look uncomfortable. Manager Mark Dunlop fancies Quinn against immoderate super-flyweight successful Britain. Third antheral Eamonn Magill awarded ‘The Magnificent’ each league here.

William Hayden had to endure a fewer hairy moments portion outpointing Durham’s Jordan Ellison. The Dubliner punched with authorization arsenic Ellison soaked up the unit and kept swinging. Hayden was buzzed successful circular 3 but fought backmost well. ‘Willo’ suffered a blemish implicit his near oculus that turned into a cut. Eamonn Magill totalled 59-55 successful his favour.

Kirby’s Callum Thompson opened the lengthy evening’s enactment with a four-round points triumph implicit Romania’s Marian Istrate. The Joe Gallagher-trained lightweight won 40-36 connected Russell Jnr’s card.

Armagh’s James Freeman closed the amusement with a 39-37 debut triumph implicit London journeyman Jordan Grannum. Eamonn Magill refereed this contention and besides Belleek middleweight Fearghus Quinn’s 60-54 shutout of Colombia’s Ruben Angulo.

THE VERDICT: Conlan’s aboriginal hangs successful the equilibrium pursuing a crushing stoppage loss.