In a classic light heavyweight war, WBA #7, IBF #13, and WBC #15 contender Najee Lopez stopped the relentless Manuel Gallegos in eight brutal rounds to capture the WBA Continental Americas and WBO Latino Light Heavyweight titles at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida. Headlining the 10-round main event on ProBoxTV, Lopez (16-0, 13 KOs) of Ellenwood, Georgia, and Gallegos (22-4-1, 19 KOs) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, engaged in a ferocious back-and-forth battle that delivered nonstop action. The intensity of the fight was extraordinary, reaching a level rarely seen even in memorable matchups. Despite being knocked down during a wild seventh round, Lopez quickly recovered. Relying on superior conditioning and determination, he mounted a final surge that forced the referee to halt the contest at 2:41 of the eighth round, ending Gallegos’ courageous effort.
“That just shows I’m a true champion and I’m here to stay,” said Lopez afterward. “I’m willing to prove it every time I step in the ring. He was the best version of himself tonight. I fought a true champion. The ring was small and he’s a big guy—I felt his shots and his presence. He came to win, but I showed I was there to win too. It came down to nutrition and willpower. We both had game plans, but I had more will.”
“That’s a tough man right there,” Lopez added. “Once I had him hurt, I wasn’t letting him off the hook. That was a real test, and I feel like I passed it.”
In the co-feature, unbeaten Dominic Valle (13-0, 7 KOs) of Lutz, Florida, earned a controversial unanimous decision over Mexico’s Eduardo “Zurdito” Ramirez (29-6-3, 14 KOs) in a 10-round super featherweight bout.
Ramirez, the more seasoned fighter, controlled the first four rounds by crowding Valle, limiting his space, and landing heavy shots with both hands. In round five, Ramirez staggered Valle with a hook, but the younger fighter responded with his own offense to avoid a stoppage. Later in the round, Valle rocked Ramirez with an uppercut and continued the attack into the sixth.
Valle’s right eye began swelling badly, prompting ringside officials to examine it before round seven, but the fight continued. Valle responded by attacking the body and edging rounds seven and eight. After a close ninth round, Ramirez finished strong in the tenth, unleashing two-handed combinations to the head and body.
Despite the competitive nature of the fight, the judges scored it unanimously for Valle: 96-94 and two wide cards of 98-92.
Earlier in the night, Cleveland’s unbeaten light heavyweight Dante Benjamin (14-0-1, 9 KOs) earned an eight-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Angel Lozano (8-1, 6 KOs) of Pomona, California.
After three competitive rounds, Benjamin took control in the fourth with sharp long-range shots that began to break down Lozano. Benjamin’s jab dominated round five, though Lozano rallied in round six with combinations behind an active jab. Benjamin closed strongly over the final two rounds to secure the decision by scores of 80-72, 77-75, and 78-74.
In an entertaining slugfest between two knockout artists, Delvin McKinley (14-5-1, 13 KOs) of New Orleans scored an upset majority decision over Christian “Il Bambino” Chessa (6-1, 6 KOs) of Lombardia, Italy, over six rounds.
After an even opening round, McKinley hurt Chessa with an uppercut in the second, swelling his left eye and drawing blood from his nose. Chessa boxed well in the third to neutralize McKinley’s power and continued landing sharp counters and body shots in the fourth. However, McKinley surged late, landing eye-catching combinations in rounds five and six as Chessa’s left eye nearly closed.
McKinley ultimately secured the upset with scores of 57-57 and two cards of 58-56.
Opening the broadcast, Lutz, Florida’s Kenyan Valle (3-0, 1 KO) earned a hard-fought six-round unanimous decision over Anel Dudo (4-7-1, 1 KO) of Aurora, Colorado.
Dudo appeared to control the first round with his experience, but Valle found his rhythm in round two, landing combinations upstairs and to the body. Dudo increased the pressure in the third and stunned Valle with an uppercut in a strong fourth round.
Although Dudo remained active in round five, Valle’s accuracy helped neutralize the pressure. Dudo pushed hard in the final round but ran into several clean liver shots from Valle, who finished strong.
The judges scored the bout 59-55, 59-55, and 60-54 for Valle, keeping the young prospect undefeated while giving him valuable ring experience.