Zuniga stops Lopez with :56 to go

2005 opener has fantastic finish!

06/01/2005

Zuniga stops Lopez with :56 to go

Trailing on the scorecards, Fulgencio Zuniga flipped the script on David Lopez by upsetting the upset specialist in Tucson, Arizona on Thursday. The Colombian Zuniga was down in the seventh but surprised everyone by wearing down Lopez in the twelfth round of their middleweight bout.  Lopez (rated #19 by Boxingtalk coming in) was exhausted and defenseless against the ropes, when he went down for the second time in the round and beat the count only to have the referee stop the contest with a little less than one minute remaining.  Zuniga, now 16-1, ended Lopez's run of five straight quality victories that transformed him from opponent to contender.  Zuniga's only loss came in a WBO title bout at 154 pounds against Daniel Santos. On the undercard, Mexican Olympians Abner Mares and Alfredo Angulo turned pro with victories, although Mares had a far easier evening, stopping Luis Malave in two while Angulo was cut but beat Tomas Padron by four-round majority decision. --Scott Shaffer