The first fight of the Showtime main card for the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Josesito Lopez card saw long time veteran of the sport, Eric Morel, take on Leo Santa Cruz for the IBF bantamweight championship. The two men came out and basically looked content to stand at phone booth distance and throw power shots.
Canelo Vs. Lopez Results: Leo Santa Cruz Stops Eric Morel In 5
What turned the tide of the fight away from a pretty even slugfest to one that Santa Cruz dominated was Santa Cruz’s dedication to the body attack. The attack to the body broke down Morel and slowed his attack to the point where Santa Cruz was completely in control.
As Morel slowed, Santa Cruz upped his attack. In the fifth round he was visibly hurting Morel with flurries to the head. As Morel sat in his corner after the round his corner said “you’re taking too much, stop the fight.” It was a humane decision by a corner that knew their man couldn’t win the fight but wasn’t going to stop trying on his own.
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