Undefeated featherweight Abraham Lopez thrilled the packed house at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California, on Friday night with a crunching second round knockout of Manuel Sarabia. With the win, the heavy handed 21 year old improved his record to 6-0-0 with five knockouts.
After a first round of even action, Lopez found a home for his body shots before a left hook, overhand right cross drilled Sarabia into the apron where he was counted out at the 0:57 mark.
“Abraham has been working hard in the gym and he was well prepared to go the full six rounds, but he’s a real closer. When he had Sarabia hurt, he went right for the knockout” said manager Frank Espinoza.
“Sarabia, (16-29-9, 10KO’s), had fought numerous prospects the last few years and had gone the distance with many of them so this is a nice statement for where Abraham is right now.”
The Lopez/Sarabia bout was one of the feature attractions at NEW BLOOD III, presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions.. It also served as Lopez’s first bout under their banner since his recent signing to the Southern California promoter.
Said Espinoza, “Abraham will be back in April, he’s built a real nice base of fans here and we want to keep him busy in 2009.”
The ESPINOZA BOXING CLUB was started in 1991 by Los Angeles area businessman Frank Espinoza.
Espinoza, born and bred in East Los Angeles, was a huge fan of the sport and eventually went on to establish himself as one of the top managers in the world of boxing.
In 2006, Espinoza was awarded the Manager of the Year award from the World Boxing Hall of Fame and inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame..
Espinoza’s management style has earned him numerous accolades from several respected print and internet boxing writers. In the September 2008 issue of Ring Magazine, Espinoza was praised for his outstanding handling of the career of junior featherweight world champion and “Pound for Pound” superstar Israel “EL MAGNIFICO” Vazquez.
Along with managing Vazquez also manages a young squad of talented and promising fighters composed of Luis Ramos, Carlos Molina, Abraham Lopez, Ronny Rios, Manny “Suavecito” Roman and Jesus “Pollo” Hernandez.
Among the world champions Espinoza has managed in the past are Martin “Gallito” Castillo, Enrique Sanchez, Isidro “ Chino ” Garcia and “Mighty” Mike Anchondo.
It is the goal of the Espinoza Boxing Club to always fight for our fighter’s best interests and to maximize their potential.
For more information on The Espinoza Boxing Club, please visit their newly remodeled website at www.espinozaboxingclub.com
Murat stops Sanavia, Sylvester knocks out Nespro
Karo Murat (19-0, 12 KOs) retained his European super-middleweight title with a tenth-round TKO victory over Cristian Sanavia (40-5, 12 KOs) in Neubrandenburg on Saturday night. The 25-year-old German cleverly picked his experienced opponent apart with strong punches to body and head throughout the entire fight. After a strong barrage at the end of the ninth, brave Sanavia would not come out of his corner for the next round. “That was a superb performance by Karo,” coach Ulli Wegner said. “Athletes grow with their tasks, and Karo is making steady and strong progress.”
Ten months ago at the same venue, Murat clinched a close points victory to deprive Sanavia of his European belt. The rematch was a one-sided encounter, with Murat working well to body and head to impress Sanavia. “He fought very well,” the 34-year-old lauded. “He is a good champion. I had problems with my ear and my balance so there was no sense in continuing after the ninth round.” Murat was pleased with his performance. “Sanavia really punches hard,” he said. “He is very compact and tough to fight. He is a superb boxer and very experienced, but I did what my coach taught me and that is the reason why I won.”
Murat landed several big shots to body and head at the end of the ninth when he pinned Sanavia into the ropes. Only the bell would save the Italian. “It is a pleasure to watch the progress Ulli Wegner and Karo Murat make,” Sauerland Event General Manager Chris Meyer lauded. “They are a great duo and there are great things ahead for Karo.”
In the co-featured main event, Sebastian Sylvester (30-3, 15 KOs) pleased his home sell-out crowd with a spectacular seventh-round KO victory over Gaetano Nespro (14-5, 2 KOs). The 4.600 fans raised the roof when the Hurricane dusted his opponent with a right to the head. He had already knocked the Italian down in the first round. It was his first fight under newly-appointed head coach Karsten Rower. “It was a great night,” Sylvester said. “The preparation was great, the crowd was great and the fight was great. I am very pleased. It took me five rounds to catch Nespro. He was very fast and had a good anticipation. But he tired in the sixth, and then ran into my right in the seventh.”
Rower was happy to get his cooperation with Sylvester off to a winning start. “We just had six weeks of preparation so we are very pleased with the result,” he said. “It was an important fight and Sebastian did very well.”
On the undercard, undefeated middleweight Dominik Britsch (12-0, 5 KOs) knocked out Rachid Ouafi with a powerful left in the first round, while the “Nordic Nightmare” Robert Helenius (6-0, 2 KOs) also destroyed Enrico Garmendia inside the first three minutes. Yoan Pablo Hernandez also stopped Micky Steeds in the fifth round.