This year, combat sports has produced some of the best upsets in all of sports. In the UFC, Leon Edwards shocked fans with a late knockout of Kamaru Usman. Elsewhere, Larissa Pacheco defied the odds and handed Kayla Harrison the first loss of her professional career. Not to be forgotten, Dmitry Bivol, a well-known commodity in boxing circles, surprised many by defeating Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Las Vegas. As the year comes to a close, Luis Alberto Lopez made a strong effort to add his name to the long list of upsets that occurred in combat sports in 2022.
Josh Warrington is a veteran in the featherweight division with a number of strong performances against the likes of Kid Galahad and Carl Frampton. His skill and desire led him to a record of 30-0 before suffering his first loss at the hands of Mauricio Lara. Despite suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Lara in February 2021, he was able to come back in March 2022 and reclaim his IBF Featherweight Championship.
Nine months after reclaiming the title he lost by knockout, Warrington seemingly had a new lease on life in the sport of boxing. With the help of Matchroom Boxing, he was able to land a title defense against Alberto Lopez of Mexico in his hometown of Leeds, England at First Direct Arena. However, things did not go as planned.
Warrington entered his latest title defense as a respectable betting favorite against Lopez. Despite losing to lesser opposition in the past, Lopez was able to put together an eight-fight winning streak heading into Saturday’s contest. The confidence he had gained during that winning streak carried over into the ring at First Direct Arena. Taking advantage of Warrington’s awkward style at times, Lopez shot out to an early lead before the champion came storming back in the later rounds. Ultimately, it was too late. The three judges turned in the following scores: 114-114, 115-113 and 115-113.
Lopez is the latest Mexican fighter to earn a world championship, joining the likes of Saul Canelo Alvarez, Juan Francisco Estrada and Emanuel Navarrete.
