Despite not complying with the contractual weight agreement of 126 pounds and having to lose his title even before entering the ring, then feeling sick and also vomiting before the fight, Miguel Angel “Mickey” Garcia brutally beat and knocked out Juan Manuel “JunaMa” Lopez at 1 minute and 35 seconds of the 4th round at the American Airlines Center, in Dallas, Texas, Saturday.
JuanMa Lopez was thoroughly outboxed and punished with an arsenal of punches, jabs, right hands, left hooks and uppercuts to the head and body. Lopez became a gym punching bag from the very first round.
Garcia said during the post-fight ring interview: “I study my opponents even losing a couple of rounds in the process and once I see what they have to bring to the table, I then go to work. It didn’t take me too long to figure out Lopez’s game plan.”
Referee Rafael Ramos stopped the punch onslaught when he noticed that during the mandatory 8-count Lopez was unsteady on his feet and had glassy-eyes. Lopez had been knocked out twice before in the same brutal manner in previous fights.
So what is next for JuanaMa Lopez? He should be working on correcting all of his mistakes– like standing straight, dropping his hands, raising his head and fighting in the same defenseless manner perhaps throughout his entire boxing career, amateur or professional.
I don’t understand why his trainer of 17 years, Alex Caraballo never corrected these boxing errors. Even as JuanMa Lopez remained undefeated these mistakes were still there. Maybe Lopez should retire. This is a brutal business and he has been in savage ring wars in the past, with Juan Ponce De Leon, Steven Luevano, Rafael Marquez, and Marques M’Tagwa.
Although he has won most of them, 33, with 30 by k.o.’s, and 2 world titles, most of his fights were phone booth-type wars. He’s suffered 3 brutal knockouts, twice by Orlando “Siri” Salido, and Saturday by Mickey Garcia.
Garcia listened to his trainer, Robert Garcia, who’s also his brother, and a former world champ, who told him, “Relax; let Lopez make the mistakes not you. Just stay behind your jabs and when he lunges forward counter with your right hand and left hook.”
He can now campaign as a featherweight, although he lost his I.B.O. 126 pound title — now vacant– as a result of not making weight: he could also fight as a Super Featherweight at 130 pounds.
Because of his methodical, technical, and controlled style of fighting, very relaxed but explosive, Garcia could dominate these weight divisions for a long time. There are other prominent fighters who can challenge him like 3- time world champ and fellow Mexican Abner Mares.
