By Sam Gregory: In tonight’s main event on HBO’s Boxing After Dark undefeated Juan Manuel Lopez fought six and a half brutal rounds for his first fight in the featherweight division against Steven Luevano to capture the WBO featherweight title.
Steven Luevano
Lopez vs. Luevano this Saturday night
By Dan Ambrose: Making his 6th defense of his World Boxing Organization super featherweight title, champion Steven Luevano (37-1-1, 15 KO’s) will be taking on Juan Manuel Lopez (27-0, 24 KO’s) at the Madison Square Garden, New York, New York. Lopez, 26, will be moving up in weight in hopes of adding another title to his possession. Lopez currently holds the WBO super bantamweight crown and has successfully defended it five times since capturing it two years ago with a 1st round stoppage win over Daniel Ponce De Leon in June 2008.
Lopez vs. Luevano, Gamboa and blasts Caballero; Celestino fires back at Juanma
By Peter Wells: Puerto Rican fighter Juan Manuel Lopez has been criticized badly for moving up for featherweight to fight Steven Luevano instead of fighting the Super Bantamweight number #1 Celestino Caballero.
Lopez is the current World Boxing Organization Super Bantamweight champion while Caballero holds the WBA and IBF titles. Lopez has had plenty to say about Caballero, and he better prove his trash talk right by fighting Celestino next.
Luevano-Lopez: A step up in weight and class for Juanma
By Peter Wells: Before our big fight between WBC Welterweight champion Andre Berto and WBA champion Shane Mosley we have a great little guys battle. But when these so called little guys fight, they are like machines and fight to thrill. Not many come as light and destructive as Juan Manuel Lopez can when he catches his opponents. Well known as Juanma, Lopez can bang but in his last fight had to go the full 12 and was shaken late on.
Bernabe Concepcion Disqualified Against Luevano, Lands Cheap Shot
By M. Perez: With the fight getting out of hand in the 7th round, featherweight Bernabe Conception (28-3-1, 16 KO’s) evened the score by landing a picturesque right hand that flattened World Boxing Organization featherweight champion Steven Luevano (37-1-1, 15 KO’s) well after the bell on Saturday night, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Luevano Decisions Dib
By Aaron Klein: World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion Steven Luevano (36-1-1, 15 KOs) successfully defended his title over Australian Billy Dib (21-1, 11 KOs), earning a 12-round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the
Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Luevano, 27, was making his 4th defense of his WBO title that he won in July 2007 with a win over Nicky Cook. The final judges’ scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111. Dib, 23, ranked #10 in the WBO and #11 in the IBF, appeared out of his league for the most part, looking like a crude street taught amateur in contrast to the highly skilled, composed Luevano.
In round one through four, Luevano looked a little uncomfortable with Dib’s style of fighting, in particular with his rushing inside and throwing wild shots as went. With his good hand speed and his unorthodox style, it seemed to throw Luevano off his game for the first four rounds. Though Luevano often caught Dib with big left hands as he would come flying in, he was still getting hit with quite a few punches that were thrown from odd directions. Dib was hard to predict initially, but after a few rounds, Luevano appeared to have him figured out.
Steven Luevano and Mario Santiago Fight Scored a Draw
By Eric Thomas: Making his third defense of his World Boxing Organization featherweight title, champion Steven Luevano (35-1-1, 15 KOs) was forced to settle for a draw with his 10th ranked WBO challenger Mario Santiago (19-1-1, 14 KOs), and should consider himself lucky that he escaped with that on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The final judges’ scores were 117-111 for Luevano, 113-115 for Santiago and 114-114.
I personally had the fight scored a draw, and if I were to have to pick between the two of them, I’d have given the fight to the 29 year-old Santiago from Puerto Rico, for he landed the much harder punches, initiated most of the action and took the fight to Luevano on most occasions. However, due to the fighting being ruled a draw, Luevano, the champion, gets to keep his belt. I don’t know about the judge that scored the fight 117-111 for Luevano, because that would have meant that he scored rounds for Luevano even during the stretch of the fight (rounds five though ten) in which Luevano was staggered, badly battered around the ring, and made to look nothing like a champion.
Luevano Defeats Jandaeng
In a one-sided fight, WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano (35-1, 15 KOs) defeated former kick boxer from Thailand Terdsak Jandaeng (29-3, 19 KOs) by 12-round unanimous decision at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. There was very little suspense in the fight other than in the fourth round when Luevano, 27, got careless was was knocked down by a short left hand from Jandaeng.
However, Luevano got up and survived the round, and continued his complete mastery of Jandaeng for the remaining eight rounds of the fight. The final judges’ scores were 118-109, 119-109 and 119-109, all for Luevano. Jandaeng’s face was badly swollen up around both eyes and his the right side of his eye was cut from the many jabs he absorbed from Luevano during the bout.
Luevano controlled the first two rounds, using his jab and movement to keep the harder punching – but limited – Dandaeng from connecting with his own harder, but slower shots. In the 2nd round, Jandaeng was cut on the corner of his right eye, and his face had already began to swell.