Moments ago at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez defended his belt after making proud Mexican Rafael Marquez retire on his stool at the end of the eighth round. Lopez raises his record to 30-0 with 27 knockouts after another excellent performance, one in which he had to overcome some shaky moments before pulling out the win.
The action was sparse early on as each man sized the other up. Lopez appeared to be very confident, coming forward more than one might expect against his older foe. Lopez appeared to take the first two rounds by simply having a little bit more of an effect with his punches as Marquez remained cautious.
<--- Slideshow: Juan Manuel Lopez stops Rafael Marquez after eight rounds
In the third Lopez caught Marquez as he was leaning back, nailing the Mexico City fighter with a looping left hand that sent him crashing to the ropes. Marquez immediately would begin firing punches in return as the fight officially broke out. It seemed that Lopez was taking control but high drama was set to take place in the 4th.
The next round would be huge for Marquez as he caught an overconfident Lopez with a counter left hand after an exchange and visibly shook up the Puerto Rican star. For the rest of the round Lopez was in retreat mode as Marquez stalked him and picked him off with piercing counter blows. The pro-Mexican crowd inside of the
