By: Sean Crose
Michael Conlan suffered his second heaviest loss in a world title fight this weekend when he was knocked out by Luis Lopez in his hometown of Belfast. After losing a stunning WBA featherweight title fight to Leigh Wood in 2022, Conlan hopes all goes well as he strikes the opening bell to take on IBF featherweight champion Lopez in a scheduled 12th round match. show at Belfast’s SSE Arena on Saturday. It simply cannot.
Conlan landed well with the first jabs while Lopez moved his body effectively. However, Conlan is definitely the more aggressive of the two. The challenger continued to be aggressive in the second round while the defending champion, who was the slower of the two, delivered heavier blows. Conlan had strong moments in season three, but the patient who watched Lopez in season three speaks for itself. Indeed, Conlan was injured in the final half of the round. With that in mind, the brave challenger survived this chapter.
However, Lopez continued to attack in the fourth round, causing Conlan to begin to hold out. Lopez, clearly the stronger of the two, was able to continue landing with power. In the fifth season, it’s all over. A great headbutt from Lopez sent Conlan to the carpet. Sure enough, Conlan’s head hit the tarp as he went down. Conlan’s corner, unconcerned with seeing the referee count their boxers, almost immediately gave up.
