On The Brink: Juan Manuel Lopez TKO2 Bernabe Concepcion

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It nearly ended in disaster for Juan Manuel Lopez—and for thousands of his stunned countrymen in San Juan—but he overcame a hard knockdown to stop tough Bernabe Concepcion in the second round of an explosive fight last night at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in Puerto Rico.

In his first start since steamrolling Steven Luevano last January, Lopez, now 29-0 (26), provided what all boxing aficionados crave but rarely come across with any regularity—thrills, chills, and spills. Concepcion entered the bout as a heavy underdog, but, as a solid top-10 fighter, figured to make things interesting for as long as things lasted. They did not last for long, but they were, indeed, very interesting.

Lopez, 125 1/4, let Concepcion, 28-4-1 (15), lead after the opening bell, circling to his right, until he saw an opening and sent Concepcion reeling across the ring and into the ropes with a roundhouse left. Lopez immediately sensed his opponent was hurt and went on the attack.

Either Concepcion, 125, was caught cold—a possibility considering his unusually cheerful demeanor in the ring before the fight—or Lopez hits that hard. If he does, all ranked featherweights are in a world of trouble. Lopez throws a straight left like a locomotive piston and has a right hook that can double as a trip hammer. Lopez is also a good counter puncher, which increases his potential lethality. Compact and precise, his blows have the kind of force that leaves opponents stumbling around with beehives for heads for rounds—if not days—on end. Concepcion was clearly dazed when he was driven into the ropes.

Referee Luis Pabon could have ruled a knockdown, but in Puerto Rico they like the festivities to come to, preferably, a violent conclusion, and Lopez, 27, tried to oblige by hammering Concepcion hither and thither. He raked Concepcion with several combinations before a hard right-left dropped Concepcion onto his hands and knees.

Concepcion rose and bravely battled back, but he was being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of punches rattling him when he managed to collect his wits just long enough to unleash a counter left hook off the ropes that sent Lopez crashing to the deck. It was the kind of opportunity Lopez presents all too often during a fight, and Concepcion nearly made him pay the ultimate price for it. Lopez took the count with a dreamy look on his face, and Pabon waved the two fighters together. Unfortunately for Concepcion, the bell rang before he could follow up and try for a finish.

Round two saw Concepcion, Binangonan, Rizal, Philippines, come out aggressively only to be jarred by a straight left that dropped him on the seat of his pants. This time Lopez, Caguas, Puerto Rico, did not rush in recklessly after Concepcion beat the count. He took his time, worked his jab, measured Concepcion, and soon had the popular Filipino, who committed the cardinal sin of following a puncher, in trouble once again. Under siege and dazed, Concepcion turned and staggered across the ring before Lopez caught up to him with a left that dropped him headfirst in a heap in a neutral corner. When Concepcion capsized trying to beat the count, referee Luis Pabon waved the fight over. Concepcion, 22, was courageous but clearly disoriented, lashing out while Pabon held him in his arms. The time of the crushing knockout was 2:37.

Despite the usual P-4-P palaver, there is no way Lopez is going to remain at the top long with flaws as glaring as the ones he has. His offense may be his best defense, but it would help if he bent at the waist once in a while, brought one hand back for defensive purposes while throwing multi-punch combinations, and pivoted occasionally to switch angles. Right now, his all-or-nothing style has him poised, paradoxically, on the brink of greatness and palookaville simultaneously.

In addition, whether he is rugged enough to take it as well as he dishes it out remains to be seen at this point. But it certainly remains worth seeing.

Still, Juan Manuel Lopez remains one of the few fighters in boxing able to keep viewers on the edge of their seats every time he fights. And that, of course, is more than enough.