Lester Martinez & Najee Lopez Display Their Power
Super middleweight prospect Lester Martinez (16-0, 14KO) remains undefeated after stopping Lucas De Abreu (14-4, 11KO) in four quick rounds.
Abreu used that two-and-a-quarter-inch reach to his advantage early by pumping the jab to keep the fight at mid-range. That strategy did not last long, as Martinez used his superior footwork to get inside that reach and landed several hard shots.
The undefeated Guatamalan’s punch of choice was different variations of the right hand. Martinez landed that punch effortlessly while using a stiff jab to set up the overhand right that dropped Abreu twice in the third round.
Realizing the Brazilian was wilting under his aggressive style, Martinez came out like a lion landing brutal shots before another overhand right dropped his opponent. The referee had seen enough and decided to forgo a ten count by calling off the contest in the fourth round.
A decorated amateur, Martinez looked sharp en route to a fourth straight knockout victory and is only the second man to have stopped Abreu in a good showcase fight.
NAJEE LOPEZ DESTROYS CHRISTOPHER BOOKER
Super middleweight Najee Lopez (7-0, 6KO) made extremely quick work of a subpar challenger in Christoper Booker (16-14, 6KO).
If you went to the bathroom or looked down at your phone, you probably only got to see a replay of the knockout as it was that fast. The fighter’s introduction was longer than the fight itself as Lopez landed a hard left to the body, followed by a right to the top of the head that sent Booker crumbling to the canvas.
Although it was a clean shot on the ear, Booker did not want to continue the fight and elected to stay down while the referee counted him out. The commentating team agreed he could have continued as the replay showed that Lopez’s punch did not appear to have a major impact.
Regardless, Lopez picks up the victory and hopefully, his next fight will be against a better opponent.
JULIO SOLIS WAS FLAWLESS AGAINST YESNER TALAVERA
Lightweight prospect Julio Solis (8-0, 6KO) pitched a shutout against veteran Yesner Talavera (15-15-1, KO).
From the start of the bell, the skill set of Solis was on full display as he boxed very well from behind the jab. His ability to mix up the attack while fighting well off the front foot kept Talavera in defense mode the entire fight.
The veteran Talavera tried to mount some offense by coming forward and looking to attack the body of the young prospect. However, Solis quickly turned away the veteran’s efforts with sharp crisp counter hooks to the body.
As the fight continued, Solis was clearly trying to get the knockout with a relentless body attack before landing a more punishing right hand down the middle. When the final bell sounded, all three judges scored it 80-72 in favor of Julio Solis. This was a good showing of maturity and pure boxing ability for the young lightweight prospect, as the potential of big things to come in the future looks promising.
