LOS ANGELES – Najee Lopez’s impressive uppercut to the body found its rightful target, and a rare invocation of boxing’s video-replay system affirmed it.
Following a confusing delay that permitted Lopez’s opponent, Juan Carrillo, to continue on following the decisive punch that sent Carrillo to the canvas, writhing in pain in the ninth round, California State Athletic Commission lead inspector Jesus Villarreal stopped the fight to review the replay, declaring Lopez 17-0 (14KOs) the winner.
Lopez assured his cornermen before the review’s findings that his punch was clean.
Victory lifts the 26-year-old Puerto Rican on his way toward light-heavyweight title contention.
Ranked No. 4 by the WBA and among the top 15 by the WBC and WBO, Lopez was coming off a March fight-of-the-year stoppage of Manuel Gallegos one round after Lopez touched the canvas himself.
Lopez, leaning on his penchant for activity versus the more deliberate power of former Olympian Carrillo, worked the jab to set up his more frequent rights.
Left-handed Carrillo showed the power that gave him 11 knockouts through his first 15 bouts, but the volume lagged in comparison as Lopez aimed at the midsection.
Lopez maintained control in the fourth, shrugging off a body blow to land more on the 33-year-old Colombian.
Carrillo found Lopez with lefts to the head in the fifth, prompting Lopez to throw rights to the head.
Lopez ate another left in the sixth and had to be coaxed by his corner to fall back on his jab and the plan of being the busier fighter.
He better embraced the cause in the seventh, finding Carrillo with an inside right and uppercut.
By the eighth, Lopez backed Carrillo and his comfort in asserting himself made the urgent Carrillo find his aggression with some clean blows.
But Lopez went back to work, the final punch arriving at the 1:33 mark of the ninth.
