Abraham Lopez KOs Mexico’s Espinoza in Thompson Boxing Promotion’s Card

ONTARIO-La Puente’s Abraham Lopez proved too much for Mexico’s Gerardo Espinoza (28-12, 26 KOs), a feared knockout puncher who was attempting a comeback after a brief absence from the ring. He was knocked out by youth.

Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) showed the crowd at the Doubletree Hotel that a talented youth can overcome veteran experience in the Thompson Boxing Promotion main event on Friday night. Another sold out crowd was on hand.

Sharp jabs and combinations laid the ground work for Lopez, who utilized his speed to keep the dangerous Espinoza from getting his bearings early.

By round two Lopez slipped into another gear and began to put the pressure on the Mexican puncher. In round four a shot to the liver at 33 seconds ended the fight in favor of Lopez in the featherweight showdown.

Riverside’s Richard Contreras (8-0, 8 KOs) didn’t waste time in stopping Angel Torres (2-7-2) in a fight that was supposed to be a strong test for both fighters. A right hook from southpaw Contreras dropped Torres early in the round. He beat the count and was finished by two right hand-left hook combinations for a knockout at 1:11 of round one of the bantamweight fight.

Riverside’s Alberto Herrera (8-3-1, 5 KOs) rebounded from back-to-back losses with a unanimous decision over Marcus Robinson (4-1), who suffered his first pro loss. Herrera used a body attack mixed with punches over the top. Robinson was deducted a point by the referee for hitting behind the head in the welterweight clash.

Welterweight Rigoberto Flores (2-1) of San Fernando beat Riverside’s Roberto Crespo (2-1) by unanimous decision. Flores pressured Crespo from the start and forced him to the ropes. Crespo tried to use his jab to keep Flores at a distance but was out-punched by a barrage of jabs, one-twos, uppercuts and straight punches.

Juan Reyes (4-0-1) beat Alejandro Ochoa (1-1) by unanimous decision after four rounds in a featherweight match. Ochoa suffered a cut under the right eye and finished with both eyes swollen.

Isaac Zarate won his pro debut by unanimous decision over Anthony Briones. A first round knockdown and fourth round knockdown by Zarate provided the winning margin. Briones was also making his pro debut in the bantamweight bout.