By: Sean Crose
The 25-3-1 Reiya Abe had the chance of a lifetime Saturday at New York’s Turning Stone Casino as he faced the 29-2 IBF featherweight titlist Luis Lopez. On paper at least, it looked like a fascinating contest between two fighters worth their figurative weight in salt. The first was an interesting affair. Lopez wasn’t afraid to look wild as he went after his slick southpaw opponent. The tactic worked well, as Lopez was able to effectively put in work on his man. By the second it appeared that Abe might have a problem on his hands. His strategy appeared to be to make himself illusive. Yet Lopez was able to land hard, chopping blows on his man during the round.
To make matters worse, Abe returned to his corner with a serious black eye – the kind of black eye that may have been a sign of considerable damage. The ring doctor, however, allowed the fight to continue. Lopez resumed his assault in the third. Once again, the ring doctor checked Abe’s eye, and once again the challenger was allowed to fight. Credit had to go to Abe in the fourth for giving it his absolute all. The pace had slowed a bit in the fifth, but Lopez remained in control of the tempo.
With that being said, Abe was able to land effectively in his own right in the sixth. Still, by the end of the seventh, Abe’s face was a total mess, as both eyes were now swollen. A furious eighth round flurry from Lopez led the referee to finally stop the fight before Abe endured further damage.
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