Navarrete stops outmatched Lopez in 6th round

After a relatively slow start, WBO junior featherweight titleholder Emanuel Navarrete overwhelmed Uriel Lopez to score a sixth-round TKO victory in a non-title fight Saturday night at the TV Azteca studios in Mexico City.

Navarrete (32-1, 28 KOs) slowly built momentum and eventually started to overpower Lopez (13-13-1, 6 KOs) in the fourth round, alternating between the orthodox and southpaw stance.

Navarrete, who won his sixth consecutive fight by stoppage, landed punches from all directions. Lopez — who had gone the distance in his previous three fights — was game and willing, but he was no match for the flurry of punches that started coming his way.

“I have the utmost respect for Uriel Lopez,” Navarrete said after the victory. “He put forth a courageous effort, but I was coming to win by knockout. I want to unify titles, but if nobody accepts my challenge, I’ll move up to featherweight.”

Navarrete sent Lopez to the canvas in the fifth round by a swarm of punches. In the sixth, a well-placed right hand to the body knocked Lopez down for the second time, forcing the referee to wave off the fight at 2 minutes, 22 seconds. For Navarrete, it was his sixth fight in the past 13 months.

According to CompuBox, Navarette threw 571 punches, landing 190 of them; Lopez was unable to keep up with that work rate, landing only 49 of 252.