By Charles Brun: Luis Alberto Lopez (27-2, 15 KOs) was forced to overcome “dirty” tactics from IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs) on Saturday night to win a 12 round majority decision at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.
Lopez, 29, says he was “surprised” by how “dirty” the 32-year-old Warrington was, as he was hit in the legs, backside, headbutted, shouldered, and nailed with rabbit punches from the champion.
Luis Alberto Lopez won the fight by the scores 115-113, 115-113, and 114-114. However, a lot of boxing fans saw it as a more comprehensive victory than the scores handed down by the judges. Indeed, it appeared that lost should’ve won by a 117-111 score at the very least.
The Mexican challenger, Lopez felt that the referee Bob Williams should have done his job to address the fouling that Warrington was routinely doing during the fight.
Right off the bat, Lopez was cut over his left eye in round two when Warrington rammed him with his head. While some boxing fans felt that the headbutt from Warrington was accidental, other fans saw it was an intentional move.
“I’m very happy at the moment. It’s been a long period of preparation. As I said in the build-up, this is my moment. It comes from hard work over a long boxing career. I’m delighted to be world champion,” said Luis Alberto Lopez to DAZN following his victory over Josh Warrington on Saturday night in Leeds.
“I had to respect him coming into his city in front of his people. I knew he was a dirty fighter, but he surprised me even more,” said Lopez about Warrington.
“He was hitting me in the legs, the glutes [backside], and the referee; I didn’t think he did his work tonight. I’m very surprised. You have to be conscious, and you have to look after boxers to make sure they don’t suffer any accidents.
“It’s really important. It’s a dangerous sport. Boxers need to be looked after,” said Lopez.
The punch to the backside of Lopez in the ninth round hurt him, and he was limping for a minute afterward. Luckily the referee gave Lopez a timeout to let him walk it off.
The rabbit punches Warrington was throwing were more troubling, as they were constant and visible. The referee failed to address that during the fight, and it got worse in rounds 10 through 12. In those last three rounds, Warrington was throwing rabbit punches at a fevered pace.
