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Luis Alberto Lopez played to the crowd and then closed the show.

Reiya Abe was able to outlast a swollen shut right eye and bloodied nose but could not keep Lopez at bay long enough to make it to the final bell. A swarm of power punches by the defending IBF featherweight titlist was enough for referee Mark Nelson to stop their title fight at 0:39 of the eighth round Saturday evening at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Abe, The Ring’s No. 8-ranked featherweight, attempted to use his height advantage and long legs to keep the fight at a distance in the opening round of their ESPN+ co-feature. Lopez immediately put an end to that, as he cut off the ring and connected with winging left hooks and right hands from unorthodox angles against his mandatory challenger.

Lopez, No. 2 at 126, landed a left hook that caused rapid swelling around the right eye of Abe in the second round of his third IBF featherweight title defense. Abe was game and showed a sturdy chin but was at an extreme disadvantage versus the heavier-handed Lopez, who also put in quality work to the body.

Time was called at the start of the third and fourth rounds, as the ringside physician examined Abe’s ability to see out his eye. The 30-year-old southpaw from Kanagawa, Japan was permitted to continue on both occasions, though Lopez, also 30, continued to cause damage. The Mexicali native doubled up on his left hook.

Abe had little to cause Lopez to take a backwards step. He attempted to stick out his jab and outbox the aggressive titleholder but was instead forced on the defensive.

Lopez continues to pour on the attack in round seven. Abe was now bleeding from his nose, but his corner informed the referee—through translator Nobu Ikushima—that they were willing to allow the fight to continue as long as the third man and the doctor were on board.

That plan took a dramatic turn early in round eight.

Lopez waved his right first in a circular motion to play to the crowd. Abe was quickly pinned against the ropes, where Lopez unloaded with a rapid-fire flurry. Abe was unable to defend himself, at which point the fight was brought to a merciful halt.

Lopez was credited with landing 165-of-389 total punches (42.4 percent), compared to just 57-of-248 (23 percent) for Abe. Nearly half of Lopez’s 165 connects were to the body, where he landed 71 punches. He also landed 135-of-293 (46.1 percent) power punches; Abe was just 51-of-172 (29.7 percent) in that category.

The bitter end snapped a six-fight win streak for Abe (25-4-1, 10 KOs), who fell well short in his U.S. debut and first career title fight. He earned the opportunity with a twelve-round, unanimous decision over former two-division titlist Kiko Martinez last April 8 in Tokyo.

Lopez advanced to 30-2 (17 KOs) with the win, his thirteenth in a row. The entertaining Mexican slugger won the IBF title in a December 2022 majority decision over Josh Warrington on the road in Leeds, England. He remained in the U.K. for his first title defense, a rousing fifth-round knockout of Michael Conlan last May 27 in the challenger’s hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Lopez then outpointed three-time title challenger Joet Gonzalez last September 15 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The bout was paired with the Otabek Kholmatov-Raymond Ford vacant WBA featherweight title fight. Ideally, the winners would meet in a unification, though Lopez wanted to keep his options open—even if it means a move up in weight for a much bigger name.

“My dream is to unify the world titles at 126,” Lopez told ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna, who also translated from Spanish to English. “But I’m also willing to move up to 130. [Former two-division titlist] Oscar Valdez and Liam Wilson are fighting later this month. I will take on that winner as well.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox

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