JuanMa Lopez pinahinto si Marquez sa 9th round

LAS VEGAS — Matagumpay na naidepensa ni Juan Manuel Lopez ng Puerto Rico ang kanyang suot na World Boxing Organization (WBO) world featherweight crown matapos pigilin si Rafael Marquez ng Mexico kahapon sa MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Hindi na lumaban si Marquez sa pagtunog ng bell sa ninth round dahilan sa kanyang injury sa kanang balikat.

“The referee (Tony Weeks) asked me ‘Are we going to have to stop this? Do you want to keep fighting?,”’ ani Marquez. “I told Weeks ‘I can’t go, I just can’t go.’ If I hadn’t hurt my shoulder it would have been an all-time great fight. I’d like a rematch.”

May 29-0-0 win-loss-draw ring record ngayon si Lopez kasama ang 26 KOs, habang ito naman ang ikaanim na kabiguan ni Marquez para sa kanyang 39-6-0 (35 KOs) slate.

Taglay na ni Marquez ang nasabing right shoulder injury bago pa man niya hamunin si Lopez.

Nakipagsabayan si Marquez kay Lopez hanggang sa fourth round kung saan siya nanalo.

Naging agresibo naman si Lopez mula fifth hanggang eighth rounds, habang nirapido niya si Marquez sa seventh round.

Ito ang ikalawang pag­de­depensa ni Lopez sa kanyang WBO featherweight title na kanyang inagaw kay Steven Luevano noong Enero.

Dati namang hinawakan ni Marquez ang International Boxing Fede­ration (IBF) bantamweight at World Boxng Council (WBC) super bantamweight belts.

“He’s the best fighter I ever fought,” ani Lopez kay Marquez. “If I’m No. 1, he’s No. 2. He was hurting me.”

“We’re sportsmen. I didn’t want to hurt him more than necessary. The last couple of rounds I thought I was hurting him,” dagdag pa ng Puerto Rican.