By: Sean Crose
The popular veteran Josesito Lopez brought his 37-8 record into the ring at AT&T Stadium in Dallas Saturday night when he faced the 25-8-1 Francisco Santana in a scheduled 10 round affair. Solid body work sent Santana down to the mat in the first. Santana got up but Lopez immediately went on the attack. Santana, however, wasn’t to be denied, as he met fire with fire and ended the round in competitive fashion. The second didn’t have the fireworks the first did, but both men still engaged in the art of throwing leather.
The third and fourth saw things maintain a fast pace, though Lopez looked to be edging it. By the fifth, Lopez had landed on his man hard again. Still, Santana kept coming. Lopez remained in control through the midway portion of the fight. Santana was tough and game, but wasn’t pressing the action in a way that might have worked for him. Then again, Lopez simply appeared to be the more skilled fighter of the two, as well.
Santana wet down at the end of the ninth, but once again got back to his feet, determined to fight. Yet it was telling that Santana wobbled on his way back to the corner after the bell. Lopez started the tenth firing missiles. Santana wasn’t going to give, though, until the referee stepped in and saved him. The fighter went down a third time in the tenth. Again, he got up, but the fight was, by then, a complete wash. After another flurry, the referee stepped in and stopped the bout.