Josh Taylor v Teófimo López: WBO junior welterweight title fight - live
Key events 54m ago Tale of the tape
2h ago Preamble Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
4m ago 23.49 EDT Round 6 Taylor comes out more assertive to start the sixth, getting off first with the intent on reversing the pattern of the past couple of rounds. He’s all but abandoned the jab. López continues to outthrow, outland and generally outtough the Scot. And to put a cherry on top, López catches Taylor coming in again in the final seconds and Taylor holds on until the final bell. Easy round for López. Guardian’s unofficial score: Taylor 9-10 López (Taylor 57-57 López)
8m ago 23.45 EDT Round 5 Another good round by López, who is dialled-in and having his best moments of the night. He’s the busier fighter and landing the cleaner shots while making himself more a elusive target for the body work that Taylor was depending on early. Guardian’s unofficial score: Taylor 9-10 López (Taylor 48-47 López)
12m ago 23.42 EDT Round 4 Taylor goes down in a heap but the referee correctly rules it a slip. López is outthrowing and outlanding Taylor and gaining in confidence. Chants of “Fuck you, Tay-lor!” resound from a wide swath of López supporters on the south end of the room. Then near the end of the frame, López rocks Taylor back into the ropes with a concussive right hand. And Taylor looks hurt! Taylor may be hurt! He’s on his feet and lucky the bell is close! End of the round a massive statement by López, who has the whole theater behind him. Guardian’s unofficial score: Taylor 9-10 López (Taylor 39-37 López)
17m ago 23.37 EDT Round 3 Taylor is warned for hitting López after he’d pushed him halfway through the ropes. When López looks to touch gloves, Taylor immediately stamps him with a jab. López is landing the heavier shots at the moment but Taylor is doing better work in combination. This is already a very entertaining fight contested at a high pace that belies the one-sided scorecard that we have so far as López easily could have shaded rounds two or three. Guardian’s unofficial score: Taylor 10-9 López (Taylor 30-27 López)
22m ago 23.32 EDT Round 2 López is fighting out of an orthodox stance. He’s lands a crunching left hook upstairs on Taylor, his best punch of the fight. A firefight breaks out in a neutral corner with about a minute to go in the round with both fighters trading head shots. Taylor diligently continues his work to the body catches López coming in with a right hand in the closing seconds. A very close round that could go either way, but Taylor has done just enough to nick it. Guardian’s unofficial score: Taylor 10-9 López (Taylor 20-18 López)
26m ago 23.28 EDT Round 1 There’s the bell. Taylor’s size advantages looks even more glaring under the lights than on paper. Chants of “Te-o! Te-o!” ring through the crowd. Taylor pushes López against the ropes and opens fire with combinations, landing a couple to his opponent’s ribs. López’s hand speed looks formidable but Taylor has landed the better shots, making it a point to target the body. A small cut on the bridge of López’s nose is visible as he walks back to his corner after the bell. Guardian’s unofficial score: Taylor 10-9 López (Taylor 10-9 López)
32m ago 23.22 EDT The fighters are making their entrances. First it’s Teófimo López, who emerges from the back of the theater in an aqua and gold robe with gold trim and makes the long walk down the aisle as Juicy by the Notorious BIG plays at the ear-splitting volumes. That robe, upon closer inspection, is dotted with Bud Light patches and has a large Walt Disney logo on the back, an unmistakable political statement (or troll job). Now it’s Taylor’s turn, who makes his entrance to Ram Jam’s Black Betty in a tartan robe. Good stuff all around. The teeming crowd, which Top Rank says is a sellout and gate record for the theater, is popping from back to front.
54m ago 23.00 EDT Tale of the tape Here’s a look at how Taylor and López measure up ahead of tonight’s main event. Taylor will enjoy advantages of two inches in height and one inch in reach. Josh Taylor v Teófimo López
1h ago 22.48 EDT Xander Zayas has won an eight-round unanimous decision over the durable Ronald Cruz. All three ringside judges scored it an 80-71 shutout. The rising star of the junior middleweight division improves to 16 wins in 16 pro outings, continues to chart improvement with each successive fight and looks remarkably polished for 20 years old. Big things await. Next up: Josh Taylor v Teófimo López for Taylor’s WBO junior welterweight title. Xander Zayas, left, lands a punch on Ronald Cruz during their eight-round junior middleweight fight. Photograph: Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc/Top Rank/Getty Images
Updated at 22.55 EDT
1h ago 22.36 EDT Xander Zayas is off to a good start in the co-feature bout. The blue-chip junior middleweight prospect from San Juan dropped Ronald Cruz with an exquisite counter right in the first 30 seconds of the opening round, bringing the Puerto Rico Day weekend crowd to its feet. Cruz has steadied himself since, but Zayas has continued to bank rounds working behind the jab and appears in complete control through six frames of their scheduled eight-rounder. Xander Zayas scores a first-round knockdown of Ronald Cruz. Photograph: Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc/Top Rank/Getty Images
Updated at 22.56 EDT
Source: The Guardian
