Jaw-breaking Lopez stops Ortiz
Josesito Lopez stopped former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz with an apparent jaw-breaking punch in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
In one of the biggest upsets in recent times, Lopez won on a ninth-round technical knockout.
Ortiz and his corner stopped the fight before the start of the tenth round when the injury left the highly rated fighter unable to close his mouth.
Unheralded Lopez had accepted the fight last month as a late replacement for Andre Berto, who failed a doping test that scuttled his rematch with welterweight start Ortiz.
Lopez improved his professional record to 30-4, including 18 knockouts. He leaped on to the ropes to celebrate the victory that left Ortiz with a record of 29-4-2.
Ortiz was leading 86-85, 87-84 and 88-83 on the official scorecards when he was forced to quit. Lopez had made the fight much closer than expected.
Ortiz was due to fight Saul Alvarez in Las Vegas on September 15 but the fight will probably be cancelled.
VETERAN WILLIAMSON KNOCKED OUT
In Hollywood, Florida, Tony Grano knocked out DaVarryl Williamson in the fourth round of a heavyweight bout, taking his record to 20-2-1, with 16 knockouts.
Williams, who is 43 years old and well past his best, dropped to 27-6; 23. The result gave Grano the vacant NABF heavyweight title.
Earlier Angelo Santana stopped Justin Savi in a lightweight bout to remain undefeated after 13 fights. The fourth-round victory brought Santana his tenth stoppage win. Savi, who was knocked down in the second and fourth rounds, dropped to 26-2; 18.
Brando Hernandez moved his record to 22-1-1, with 12 knockouts, when he stopped Brandon Baue in the fourth round. Baue’s now stands at 12-7; 10.
Rico Ramos, a former WBA super-bantamweight champion, had to work hard to win his eight-rounder against Efrain Esquivias in a tournament in Studio City, California.
Ramos, who had lost his title to Guillermo Rigondeaux at the beginning of the year, moved to 21-1; 11 when he won by majority decision in his first fight since his only defeat.
