Photos: Bryan Quiles
Super featherweight Jayson “La Maravilla” Velez (26-4-1, 18 KOs) scored a twelfth round knockout over popular two-time former world champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez (35-6, 32 KOs) on Saturday night at the Coliseo Mario “Quijote” Morales in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Velez maintained an aggressive pace, exploding hard left hooks to Lopez’s face along with violent uppercuts. After twelve rounds of punishment, Juanma finally went down. Time was 1:54. The 34-year-old Juanma has now been stopped in three of his last four fights.
“I said I was going to give him twelve rounds and I did,” Velez said. “In twelfth, I knocked him out. I felt his hands at the beginning of the fight. He hits hard. We were able to adjust and continue with our fight plan. I was able to demonstrate what I’m capable of. Now I hope those big fights will come!”
“This is the fulfillment of a commitment that Universal Promotions made to Jayson Vélez,” said Universal Promotions President Javier Bustillo. “It’s the beginning of great things we have planned to do with Jayson, which will put us on top of world boxing.”
In the co-feature, WBC Latino super featherweight beltholder Alberto “Transformer” Mercado (14-1-1, 3 KOs) scored an eight round unanious decision over former contender José “Miau” Nieves (22-4-3, 11 KOs). The judges’ cards were 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75.
