Lopez continues to reign

Lopez: Powerful champion

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Juan Manuel Lopez successfully defended his WBO light-welterweight title with a ninth round stoppage of Olivier Lontchi on Saturday.

The 26-year-old earned the win when Lontchi went to his corner after the ninth round and told trainer Howard Grant he was unable to continue.

The TKO was Lopez's (26-0, 24 KOs) 14th consecutive knockout and he was elated to come through against a wily opponent.

"He was very awkward and very difficult to fight," Lopez said. "The way he was fighting, he wasn't really boxing. He was running a lot.

"I didn't feel like I was fighting as much as chasing. But I knew my strength would eventually get to him. My power would wear him down."

Injury

Lopez, who was defending his title for the fourth time, appeared headed for an easy win when he dropped Lontchi with a right hook to the side of the head in the second round.

But two rounds later Lontchi began to find the mark with his own punches. He caught Lopez off-guard with a series of crisp, straight rights.

With each passing round the Cameroon native, now living in Montreal, gained confidence and though Lopez was still in command Lontchi did not wilt.

But early in the ninth, Lontchi walked into a straight left and went down in a heap before rising on unsteady legs and Grant insisted he had no option but to pull his man out.

"He had a rib injury coming into the fight and he got hit with a bad shot there the round before - the eighth," Lonchi's trainer said. "He actually wanted me to stop it after the eighth, but I told him to try it for one more round."