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SportsTranscript
00:00Okay, guys, we went over the rules in the dressing room.
00:01Any punches here will be legal.
00:03Anything here will be legal.
00:05When I say break, I expect you to break.
00:06When I say stop, I want you to stop and protect yourself
00:08and take a step back.
00:09Touch him up, scoot back.
00:13Tale of the tape for our opening contest.
00:16Eight rounds at 130 pounds.
00:17Gio Lopez with a two-inch edge in the wingspan.
00:22Medina has had more rounds experience,
00:24and it's expected that he will try to give Lopez
00:28a few more rounds as Lopez continues his learning curve.
00:31Again, a highly-touted prospect
00:33against a guy who's only 23,
00:35but Medina is looking to get back in the win column
00:38after his second straight setback.
00:40The bell and round number one.
00:44The referee, Robert Hoyle.
00:46The southpaw, Lopez.
00:49Medina is one and one against lefties in his last four fights.
00:52His first loss came against the then-undefeated southpaw
00:56in Raymond Ford's set.
00:58He learned he has to bring more pressure to the lefties,
01:00has to establish his jab more against the southpaw.
01:04Easier said than done, especially against Lopez.
01:06You know, if you put pressure on him,
01:08you're liable to walk into something early, especially,
01:11so he's got to be careful.
01:13I mean, I like the idea of pressure,
01:15but it's not always the smartest thing to do
01:17this early against a home-run hitter like Lopez.
01:19The explosive reflexes of Lopez already on display,
01:22establishing the lead hand, the right,
01:24and then landing that left hand to the body
01:27of Eddie Abner.
01:28You are very impressed with what you've seen.
01:30It's been early days for Gio Lopez,
01:33but he seems like he has the makings of a future champion.
01:36In fact, Eddie Reynoso says he's going to be
01:38a future two-division champion.
01:41Within two years, he says, and I can see that.
01:44Look it, he's so patient.
01:45Look at Lopez, how he's just waiting.
01:47He's so precise, selective with his punches,
01:49and great defense, great defense right there from Lopez.
01:52Again, you don't see that from young fighters like him.
01:55Medina trying to parry Lopez's jab
01:57and come over the top of the left hook.
01:58Instead, there is Lopez right on the mark, Gio,
02:01with that straight left down the middle.
02:03Yeah, that left hand he threw was a little roundhouse,
02:06and Medina had the right hand up for that.
02:09That didn't come straight down the middle,
02:10but he will start switching up,
02:12coming straight down the middle
02:13and coming around with that left hand.
02:14All about the foot positioning.
02:16You see the lateral movement already for Lopez,
02:19utilizing angles, trying to bait,
02:22trying to set a trap for Medina.
02:25Yeah, definitely, Lopez trying to do that.
02:27Good again into the corner, there it is!
02:29Pops the mouthpiece right out of Medina's mouth
02:32and nails him with a short right hook.
02:34So, the power of Lopez already on display.
02:37Medina biting down, I would say, on his gun shield,
02:40but it's out of his mouth.
02:42Now, I have to tell you, after that mouthpiece
02:46being come out, when it came back to the corner here,
02:49Lopez threw a left uppercut
02:50and got countered by a right hand from Medina.
02:52That was a slick move.
02:53So, he's got to get that hand back quickly.
02:55Lopez does after that left uppercut.
02:57Medina's been down once in his career.
02:59Round two against Omar Castillo back in June of 2021.
03:03Medina went on to win a unanimous decision in eight rounds,
03:08but already feeling the power of the face
03:11tells the story.
03:12You can tell right away that left hand did damage.
03:15Obviously, he took it like a champ, Medina did.
03:18But look at his eyes, already cut open.
03:21Really precise punches there from Lopez.
03:23And it's just a matter of time, to be honest, guys.
03:26It's just how he's doing.
03:27He's being patient right now, Lopez.
03:29And he's so good at putting his punches together.
03:32Yeah, that was a nice straight left hand
03:33to the body right hook by Lopez.
03:36And he's switching up, and that's good.
03:38Don't be ahead, Hunter.
03:39Go up and down, mix up your punches.
03:41Poised, calm, cold, and explosive.
03:44We have seen a little bit of everything
03:46from Gio Lopez in the opening three minutes.
03:50And his second career fight here in Las Vegas,
03:53Lopez kicking off the prelims here on prime
03:57from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
04:00He is trained by Eddie Reynoso, who I mentioned
04:02will be in Canelo's corner as well.
04:04But so far tonight, a huge opportunity here for Lopez.
04:08Hall of Fame trainer Joe Goosen, former three division
04:10champion Abner Marez.
04:12Who cares who I am except my parents?
04:14Mauro Domenico Ranallo.
04:16Lots to talk about with Lopez, especially.
04:18Lopez, look, he may be moving up to another division.
04:22You can tell by his body, he's huge.
04:24He's really a big kid.
04:25He's in shape.
04:25You can tell he trimmed down real well for this fight.
04:27He's moving up.
04:28He's only 21.
04:29But what a puncher.
04:29Look, Medina, though, let me just tell you something.
04:32We'll probably see the mouthpiece come out here
04:34pretty soon.
04:35I mean, that's the replay I'd imagine
04:37we're going to see right here.
04:39There, it was a short left hand.
04:40He didn't really turn it over.
04:42He didn't get to turn his knuckles over,
04:43but yet that's the power he's got.
04:45Still knocked the mouthpiece out.
04:48Lopez on a three-fight knockout streak.
04:50It's coming off his fifth career first-round KO
04:53against Leonardo Padilla back in July here in Las Vegas.
04:57But again, Abner, just 21 years of age,
05:00his 17th pro fight, 16 and 0 with 12 KOs.
05:03He is so much still to learn and improve,
05:06but the fundamentals are in place.
05:08And here is a huge opportunity for him
05:11to make a statement as we kick off
05:13the PBC prelims on pride.
05:15Yeah, and it's just a beautiful thing
05:16to get an early knockout, spectacular knockout early on.
05:20But for Lopez, you want those rounds.
05:22You want to get the experience.
05:23And it seems like Medina's going to give him that tonight
05:25because he's taking some shots really well.
05:27He's still walking forward.
05:29So again, I think we're going to see some rounds again.
05:32Gio Lopez just has to work and keep doing what he's doing.
05:34Lopez establishing that long-range jab again.
05:37Joe has the two-inch wingspan advantage
05:40and sets up that lethal left hand.
05:43Very much, again, the style of a guy we will see
05:46in our co-feature, the southpaw is Landy Lara,
05:49and he's fighting Danny Garcia.
05:50Garcia had his mouthpiece knocked out
05:52against Lucas Medina, and what was his biggest win?
05:55That came 11 years ago tonight.
05:58And I will tell you, Medina, I got to give him a little...
06:00Ooh, that's where he's good at.
06:01That's where he's good at, in the inside.
06:02Yes, sir. That's right.
06:04And this is where he wants to be
06:06because Gio Lopez has not mastered the inside yet,
06:10although he can rip that left hand,
06:12that uppercut to the body, like right there.
06:14Yeah, he's not as comfortable in the inside, Lopez,
06:17even though he's landed some shots there,
06:18but it's all Medina there,
06:20and that's what he has to do, being the smaller fighter.
06:22Yeah, we've seen the lack of comfort on the inside
06:26can be pressured, and really, I mean,
06:2817th for a fight, Gio is still out on his powers.
06:31He continues to grow as a fighter
06:33and, again, levels to this thing,
06:35and Medina is posing a stern test,
06:38but Lopez is managing to connect
06:40with some nice-looking combinations.
06:42And, again, Medina's taking those shots really well.
06:44He's investing in the body right now,
06:46and that's what he wants to do,
06:47but also Lopez, beautiful uppercut right there
06:50and a body shot as well.
06:51And Medina was the one who pulled out of that clinch,
06:53so he had a little bit too much right there,
06:55and he backed out, and, of course,
06:57Lopez picked up the slack and came right back in.
06:59Look, Lopez is gonna land that left uppercut
07:01right there to the body.
07:02That was a little low, but that's his go-to punch
07:05on the inside is that left uppercut.
07:07Final minute of action, high volume.
07:10In fact, after the first round,
07:11where Lopez went 26 of 57,
07:15including scoring 11 punches,
07:17Medina was only 7 of 30,
07:19but in this round, Medina's 13 of 45,
07:22Lopez, 22 of 39,
07:25so higher level of accuracy for Lopez in round two
07:29as he continues to fight at close quarters with Medina.
07:33Yeah, you can see the experience also for Medina
07:35working in the inside,
07:36working with his free hand,
07:38not so much from Lopez, but, again,
07:39not so much power from Medina.
07:41Left by Lopez, beautiful right hook,
07:43left hand upstairs by the undefeated fighter.
07:45Yes, exactly, and he's hurting Medina
07:48with those punches right there.
07:53You got to be impressed with Lopez's body work
07:56outlanding Medina, 29 to 5,
07:59thus far making that early investment.
08:01Yeah, those were nice, short shots,
08:04but, again, the hard, powerful ones were landed by Lopez.
08:10Here we go.
08:11There's a little bam right there,
08:12right on the belt.
08:13That was not below the belt.
08:14That was right on it.
08:15Then he finished with the left hook
08:17and dropped a little overhand left.
08:20And those hurt, Joe.
08:21You know that.
08:23He boxes with all those short body shots hurt.
08:27You remember the arm?
08:28Turn it like this and hit, boom,
08:30and then watch it.
08:35Eddie Reynoso instructing Lopez in that corner.
08:40Valuable advice, and, of course,
08:42being around Canelo Alvarez doesn't hurt.
08:45He admires Canelo for his discipline and dedication.
08:48Canelo says that, for him to be successful,
08:52Lopez, what he likes about him so far,
08:55Canelo says that Lopez has cajones.
08:59And he does that with a lot of power.
09:00Canelo says that Lopez has cajones.
09:04And he does.
09:05I mean, he's fighting in the inside.
09:06He fights the fight that Medina likes,
09:08but, again, he does that because he wants to learn.
09:10He wants to perfect that.
09:11He's good in the outside, as it is already.
09:14Yeah, for a guy, though, that wants to get on the inside,
09:18you've got the height and reach like Lopez does.
09:21I would do everything in my,
09:23everything I could to keep Medina on the outside.
09:26Oh, yeah, of course.
09:26That's the easy fight there.
09:28Double jab, left hand through the high guard
09:30of Medina by Lopez.
09:32Very patient, check hook, step off.
09:34But there's fighters who you could work the inside.
09:37Again, Lopez, I mean, Ricky only has eight knockouts,
09:41not that many knockouts, so you can take shots from him.
09:4454% connect rate for Lopez thus far.
09:4844 of 81, Medina just 17 of 59.
09:52Lopez utilizing the lateral movement,
09:54again, showing off all the wrinkles,
09:56and again, perfectly times that left hand
09:59to the face of Medina.
10:00And you can tell Lopez got his,
10:03he got his instructions in the corner
10:04to get out of that pocket and box this guy,
10:07and that's exactly what he's doing.
10:08You can tell that's what he was told.
10:10He's not hanging in that pocket right now,
10:12and nor should he be.
10:13As you mentioned, both you guys in that first round,
10:15if there's an area that he still needs work on
10:17is on the inside, so as you mentioned, Joe, great advice.
10:20Utilizing the ring, utilizing the lateral movement,
10:23establishing the jab, and making Medina mentally tired.
10:27Right, now, I say if Medina traps you,
10:29and you've got no choice,
10:31then you gotta work on your inside game,
10:32but you gotta get out as quick as you can,
10:34and back to your boxing game.
10:37Yeah, I wanna see Lopez change that left hand
10:39to an uppercut now.
10:41It's beautiful, it's landing as an uppercut right, left,
10:43I'm sorry, but it's an uppercut,
10:44I think that's gonna be the moneymaker.
10:47Medina going to the body on the clinch,
10:49under a minute left here in round three.
10:51Referee Hoyle calls for the break.
10:55And again, Lopez tied up Medina on the inside there
10:57instead of dealing with him, and then got out.
11:00Great reflexes by Lopez, able to pick off Medina.
11:04As soon as he initiates a step,
11:06he gets picked off with the left hand.
11:08Great shots by Lopez.
11:10Slipping those punches really good,
11:11and now it's time to come back after those slips.
11:15Yeah, that's the second time now Medina's gotten
11:17in the inside and Lopez has tied him up.
11:20He's not gonna deal with the inside,
11:21he doesn't need to right now.
11:22He's controlling this fight from the outside,
11:25and until he gets better at the inside game,
11:27this is a smart move.
11:29Less than 20 seconds left in the third round,
11:3111 of Lopez's 12 knockouts have come
11:34within the first three rounds,
11:35but again, this matchup was put together
11:38in hopes that Medina, I call him a veteran,
11:40he's only 23 years old, 18th pro fight,
11:42but they were hoping that he would give him different looks,
11:45and so far Lopez is passing the test.
11:51That's it, that's it, that's it, right there.
11:54Catch your breath, recover good.
11:55And we're gonna get some replays here from Lopez
11:57on how successful he was from that reach,
12:00from that distance, moving away from the ropes,
12:04getting Medina off balance.
12:06Beautiful jab, slip, there it is.
12:08I want him to come back after that slip.
12:10That'd be great counterpunch for Lopez,
12:12hoping that he does that in this next round.
12:14You're working too slow for you,
12:15have your balance right, Fink.
12:17Keep jabbing, work him.
12:19Don't make it happen, it will happen,
12:20you know what I'm saying?
12:21See.
12:24-.
12:24-.
12:25-.
12:26-.
12:27-.
12:28-.
12:29-.
12:29-.
12:30-.
12:31-.
12:32-.
12:33-.
12:34-.
12:34-.
12:35-.
12:36-.
12:37-.
12:38-.
12:39-.
12:39-.
12:40-.
12:41-.
12:42-.
12:43-.
12:44-.
12:45-.
12:46-.
12:47-.
12:48-.
12:49Okay.
12:51Let me let me kind of take a
12:52shot at what,
12:53went on the corner.
12:54They were instructing Lopez
12:56to use his distance and to use his
12:58movement in the box Medina.
13:00And that's the smart move and those
13:01are the smart instructions.
13:05Ooh wow.
13:07Lopez shoots it.
13:09Medina exploding and Lopez' defense being tested.
13:12He's been known to be defensively
13:14and low, and Medina testing the waters here
13:18in the fourth round, where he is trying to break down Lopez.
13:23Good body shot by Lopez.
13:26That's now toe-to-toe.
13:28That's what you want to do if you're Medina.
13:30You want to bring that dog.
13:31You want to throw those punches.
13:33I mean, Lopez is good in the outside,
13:34but the inside game, it's all you, Medina.
13:37Lopez's biggest claim to fame thus far,
13:40being a frequent sparring partner for Noya in a way,
13:43says they sparred 50 rounds over a five-week period
13:46when he was a 20-year-old.
13:48Of course, in a way, sent Stephen Fulton Jr.
13:51to the ranks of the unbeaten.
13:53Fulton Jr. returns in our prelims feature attraction
13:55coming up against Carlos Castro later tonight,
13:59but now Lopez, after tasting some of the pressure
14:02from Medina, trying to find his rhythm again.
14:05Yeah, he's landing big shots right now, Lopez,
14:08and I'm going to tell you, that left uppercut
14:09or that left hand is going to come into play,
14:11and I have a feeling he's going to hurt Medina
14:13with that in the next round or two, if not this round.
14:16Yeah, Medina came out strong as she should,
14:18but again, it's all about taking control of the fight,
14:21and I think that Gio Lopez is back on that,
14:23taking control of the fight.
14:26Medina Porn in San Antonio, Texas.
14:30Nice hotbed of boxing and showing
14:32that San Antonio fighting spirit.
14:35Going close quarters,
14:36and Lopez showing some veteran wrinkles,
14:39wrapping his arms up, getting the referee to step in,
14:42getting countered with a left hook upstairs by Medina,
14:44and again, Lopez, that lead hand, he drops it low.
14:47He drops it low, and he pulls straight back.
14:49You got to be careful with that, Lopez.
14:52Again, you're getting the experience,
14:55but those are things that you're going to have
14:56to work on and perfect.
14:57Lopez said he'd look for the body shot
14:59wherever he could get it.
15:00He's ahead 38 to 17 in that department thus far.
15:06Yeah, and those are punches, I mean,
15:07mistakes you can't make against punchers.
15:09Medina, again, is not a puncher,
15:10only eight knockouts, but Lopez is eating some shots.
15:15Yeah, Medina's, look, he's got one thing
15:18he's got to do right now,
15:19and he can't lay back against Lopez.
15:21He's got to put some pressure on and go for it,
15:24and that's not happening right now.
15:25Lopez is backing him up and hurting him.
15:28That's why Medina's moving backwards.
15:30Lopez at his preferred range here launches the jab
15:32and then lands a couple of left hands,
15:34backs up responsibly defensively
15:38as we are 10 seconds away from reaching the midpoint
15:41of the scheduled eight-round contest.
15:43130 pounds, undefeated prospect,
15:46Gio Lopez leading the way.
15:48Time!
15:49There you go!
15:54Hey, that was a good run.
15:56Good run, man.
15:57You can box a little bit.
15:58You can get on the bike a little bit.
15:59How you feel?
16:00That's a good thing about you.
16:01You can box a little bit.
16:02What is this?
16:03What run is this?
16:04Inside, you can fight.
16:05Deep breath.
16:06Deep breath.
16:07This is a sixth?
16:08Fifth.
16:09Fifth, okay.
16:10Step in before you throw those punches.
16:11You're getting in real good.
16:12You look real nice.
16:13When you come in, get tight, Rick.
16:14Get tight and weave yourself in there.
16:16But as soon as you step in, you need to lift those fucking shots
16:18with grip and then get off to the side.
16:20But stay on his ass, okay?
16:21Don't get out of range because he wants you.
16:23He wants to get around.
16:24Stay on his ass for three fucking minutes.
16:25Don't stand right in front of him just looking at him,
16:27all right?
16:28Deep breath.
16:29We're going to walk to the side.
16:30We're going to try to counter his backhand
16:31with that little hook, right?
16:32Good shit.
16:33I want more because I'm fucking inside.
16:34I want two more.
16:35All right.
16:36Here's Medina.
16:37Right there.
16:38He landed a beautiful jab right before Lopez was able
16:41to get his punch off.
16:43He countered quite well occasionally in that last round
16:47but not enough to win the round.
16:49His corner just told Medina, you've got to get on him.
16:52You've got to stay on him because if you lay back,
16:54you're going to lose the round at best and at worst,
16:57you're going to get hurt.
16:58Second half of this eight-round attraction at 130 pounds
17:02begins.
17:03Mauro Ranallo along with Hall of Fame trainer Joe Goosen,
17:06former three-division champion Abner Matas at ringside.
17:10Gio Lopez at 16-0 with 12 knockouts
17:15against the 15-2 Ricky Medina again.
17:19Coming off a loss in his last fight to George Acosta
17:22so he wants to prove his worth
17:24and he wants to disrupt the apple cart,
17:26derail the hype train that is Gio Lopez.
17:29Yeah, Lopez may be winning this fight
17:31but he's, you know, it's not an easy fight.
17:33Medina's making him work for every round
17:36that Lopez is winning.
17:37Well, Medina had his best round in the last round,
17:40round 4, 15-42 and yet Lopez countered 20-57
17:45according to CompuBox.
17:46Because Medina gave up the pressure game
17:49and then started backing up the second half of the round,
17:51that's why he gave it away.
17:52And there is blood around the right eye of Gio Lopez
17:56so adversity here in round five
17:59is the 21-year-old Lopez
18:01now having to deal with a cut around the right eye.
18:04And this is what being on the inside
18:06for Medina is doing for him right now.
18:08Plus, he landed a great short right hand
18:10off of Lopez in close.
18:12That is the first time he has been cut
18:14in his career.
18:15Yeah, it doesn't seem like it's bothering him at the moment
18:18but yeah, it looks like a good cut.
18:20Again, he's got to work on this
18:23and Lopez, again, you got to have these fights, Gio.
18:27You as a coach, you got to be happy also
18:29that this is happening early in his career
18:32because it's going to happen in better fights, bigger levels.
18:36So for Lopez, this is a good fight.
18:38Yeah, you'd rather not have it happen ever
18:41but eventually...
18:42It's going to happen, it's boxing, contact sport, yeah.
18:44Lopez almost throwing himself off balance
18:47swinging wildly with the right now
18:49trying to again come forward on the front foot,
18:51establish the jab.
18:52Medina, his offense is being muted here
18:55with less than a minute now left
18:57after landing 15 punches in round 4.
18:59Medina back to single digits here
19:01with 45 seconds left, a good combination
19:04and that's something Lopez
19:05also putting together some crafty combos.
19:11Nice body work there from Medina.
19:17Nice one-two from the lefty Lopez.
19:20Medina now trying to set a trap,
19:22trying to feint, trying to find a way on the inside
19:25to get back to where he can put some pressure on Lopez,
19:28make him uncomfortable.
19:29I think Lopez is overthinking it a little bit here, Gio.
19:32I mean, what do you think?
19:33I think he's waiting a little bit too long
19:34to let those punches go.
19:35When he does, he's so good at it.
19:37He's landing that well, but...
19:39Well, here's the thing.
19:40You're going to be slowing down his punch output, Lopez.
19:43As long as he's keeping Medina on the outside
19:46and he's not letting him land, that's good for Lopez.
19:49That's good for Lopez.
19:51Yeah, but he's giving Medina an opportunity to land as well.
19:55All right, let's see what happened to the...
19:58We're not sure if it was a headbutt,
20:00but most likely it was a headbutt inside.
20:03I doubt it was caused by a punch.
20:11But it might as Christopher Diaz working on the cut.
20:16Let's see what happened here.
20:18You see the heads right there, and there's a little short shot.
20:20Yeah, there's a head.
20:21No, wait a minute now.
20:22The head hit the eye.
20:24There's the butt right there, Gio.
20:25It was a headbutt.
20:26The head hit the eye after the punch.
20:28And, hey, guys, I don't want...
20:29That's when it started bleeding.
20:30I don't want Christopher Diaz to get mad at me
20:32because he actually works for Ricky Medina.
20:34That is Carlos Barragan, Jr.,
20:36who's working on the cut of Lopez.
20:38The first cut of his career.
20:40There's adversity here.
20:41He is ahead in the fight,
20:43but as you mentioned, Abner,
20:44these are the things, as a professional prize fighter,
20:47you have to work around.
20:49So here we go.
20:50Round number six, scheduled for eight.
20:53And it should be said that
20:55that cut is on the outside of the eyebrow,
20:58so that's good that the blood won't necessarily
21:00drip straight down into the eye.
21:02It won't bother him.
21:03It won't bother his vision whatsoever.
21:05Again, Lopez got to get on it.
21:07Double jab, left hand to the body,
21:09and now the combinations.
21:10Lopez really opening up well here,
21:12coming off the cut,
21:13but he opens up the six in style.
21:15That's what you want to do if you're Lopez.
21:17You can't give Medina those moments.
21:19Medina doing what he has to do.
21:21Make it a rough and tumble affair.
21:23He's not going to out-slick Gio Lopez.
21:25He needs to make it tough on the inside.
21:28Well, he's got a great incentive right now.
21:30Lopez's cut, this is a great incentive
21:32for Medina to get in there, maybe open it up more.
21:35You know, anything can happen with a cut.
21:37It can get stopped.
21:38The doctor can stop.
21:39The ref can stop it.
21:40We'll see.
21:41Yeah, even if you're down on the scorecard,
21:43as a fighter, that excites me,
21:45you know, seeing my opponent leading.
21:47But here's the thing.
21:48Medina's got to use this whole round.
21:50He's got to do 3 minutes,
21:51not 2 minutes and 50 seconds,
21:53on the inside.
21:54He's got to impress him,
21:55and that's how he's going to win.
21:56Medina leaning in now, closing in.
21:58The referee Hoyle warning Lopez
22:01not to push his head down,
22:03and Joe Cousin, his brother,
22:05was a baseball pitcher.
22:07You have Lopez pitching a shutout.
22:09I do.
22:11I think Medina really has spurts.
22:13Yeah, that's just a push down.
22:15Or Medina has spurts of, you know,
22:18good moments on the inside,
22:20but not enough to win the rounds.
22:22I think, you know, Lopez is landing
22:24the hard shots winning the fight.
22:27Now, referee Hoyle is stepping in
22:30and not allowing Medina to really fight the fight
22:33that he would like to fight,
22:34as he again has realized, Abner,
22:36that he needs to keep it on the inside.
22:39That may be his only path to victory
22:41against a guy that's looked like that
22:42who manages to counter Medina
22:44coming over the left.
22:45Ooh, that's the distance.
22:46That's the range for Lopez.
22:48But, yeah, Medina making it tough
22:49for Lopez, no doubt,
22:50in the inside, the overhand,
22:52and he keeps working
22:53with that free hand, Medina.
22:55So, really good round right now
22:56for Medina, even though Lopez
22:58has had some good shots.
23:04Lopez started boxing
23:06when he was 6 years old,
23:07turned pro at 17,
23:08comes from a family of fighters
23:10for Medina.
23:12He started at 7.
23:14Lot of amateur experience.
23:15He also turned pro at 17.
23:17In fact, one of his closest pals
23:19is none other than the ring
23:21115-pound division champ,
23:23Jesse Bam Rodriguez.
23:2520 seconds remaining in the 6th.
23:29Bam, a great fighter,
23:30but this may be the first round
23:32that I'm gonna give Medina.
23:33Right?
23:34Yeah, yeah.
23:35It's statistically very close, Joe.
23:36Really close.
23:37Uh-huh.
23:3810 seconds.
23:39Yeah, but I feel that Medina
23:40did a little bit more pressure
23:41to Lopez.
23:42And it's unbelievable
23:43Lopez started so well.
23:44He did.
23:45Medina's come on,
23:46and he's closing the round,
23:47Medina.
23:48Although he did get clipped
23:49in that corner right there
23:50a second ago by Lopez.
23:54Okay, you got this.
23:55Okay?
23:56Push it.
23:57Push.
23:58Push yourself.
24:01How do you feel?
24:04There's two rounds left.
24:05Doing well.
24:07You're beating him with speed.
24:08Get some air.
24:10On the inside,
24:11listen,
24:12turn real quick and hit.
24:13Don't stay there.
24:15Turn or hit or something.
24:16Step back.
24:17All right?
24:18But we have one last six
24:19coming up.
24:20Recover, recover, relax.
24:22You gotta come out strong
24:23these next two rounds.
24:25Pass me the other one.
24:26You got this shit.
24:28Use your jab, you know?
24:31Oh, damn.
24:32Oh, damn.
24:39Wendy's next two rounds
24:40with speed.
24:42Speed, speed.
24:44Multi-talented,
24:45multi-linguist
24:46Abner Manes
24:47doing it all here
24:48at the PBC
24:49prelims on prime
24:50as we get to round seven
24:51scheduled for 8.
24:53And when we talked to Medina,
24:55he told us that
24:56he wanted to put
24:57Lopez back on his feet,
24:58that he can't really
24:59handle pressure that well,
25:01that he wanted to make
25:02life miserable
25:03and he's had moments.
25:04The last two rounds
25:05have been moments
25:06and he did have
25:07a much better round
25:08statistically,
25:09but overall
25:10and I know every round
25:11is scored individually,
25:12Lopez is ahead.
25:14Without a doubt.
25:15Look,
25:16I mean,
25:17I bet at this point
25:18Medina's corner wishes
25:19this was a ten-round fight
25:20not an eight-round fight.
25:21Yeah.
25:22Because Medina is
25:23coming on right now
25:24just like this
25:25and he's giving Lopez
25:26trouble.
25:27He's making it very difficult
25:28for Lopez
25:29to get off the punches
25:30he wants to get off.
25:31Yeah,
25:32and this is gonna come
25:33with the experience for Lopez
25:34and he has moments
25:35where he takes
25:36one, two step back
25:37and then he's got the opening
25:38for an open shot
25:39but he doesn't take it.
25:40So again,
25:41you know,
25:42that's gonna come with
25:43the experience for Lopez.
25:44He's not starting strong
25:45like the corner told him
25:46so,
25:47way too much in this round.
25:48Medina's five-and-one
25:49with one knockout
25:50in scheduled eight-round
25:51fights again
25:52coming off the loss
25:53in his last fight
25:54and you look at the total
25:55punches landed
25:56round
25:57per round.
25:58Yes,
25:59last round
26:00it was
26:01very close,
26:02very even.
26:03And that's why
26:04I gave Medina
26:05that last round.
26:07Ricky
26:08Medina Jr.
26:09El Castigo
26:10the punishment
26:11well,
26:12he wants to work on
26:13punishing Lopez
26:14on the inside
26:15but that jab
26:16that long stick of Lopez
26:17could be hooved
26:18throughout the night.
26:19Beautiful
26:20snapping left hand
26:21by Lopez.
26:22Great vision,
26:23great presence,
26:24great lateral movement.
26:25Yeah,
26:26really good accuracy.
26:27Good IQ.
26:28Really good IQ
26:29from Lopez.
26:30The one-two,
26:31you don't need much.
26:32The fundamentals.
26:33One-two,
26:34step back,
26:35get out of the danger zone,
26:36get out of the ropes.
26:37Yeah,
26:38Lopez pulled a nice little
26:39delayed feint
26:40and then dropped
26:41that left hand twice
26:42on Medina
26:43and hurt both times.
26:44Yeah,
26:45he's fighting a smart fight.
26:46Look,
26:47he's got two more rounds,
26:48he's got a cut,
26:49doesn't need to get any bigger.
26:50Finish this fight
26:51whether you get a knockout
26:52or a decision
26:53and go on from there
26:54because this is a great
26:55learning curve
26:56for Lopez in this fight.
26:57You talk about the seventh round
26:58and you talk about
26:59the learning curve.
27:00He gets to sit under
27:01the learning tree
27:02of the likes of Canelo.
27:03He frequently watches
27:04fellow southpaw,
27:05Jerron Boots,
27:06and is one of the best
27:07fighters in the sport.
27:08So,
27:09at 21 undefeated,
27:10still very much
27:11in the
27:12learning stages
27:13of a promising career.
27:14And here Medina
27:15looking to promise
27:16some punishment
27:17to the body
27:18but hoiled again
27:19Warren Lopez
27:20for pushing his head down.
27:21Let's go.
27:22Yeah,
27:23that's Lopez
27:24pushing Medina's head down.
27:25Smart move there
27:26because that stops
27:28him from coming obviously.
27:29But again,
27:30you know,
27:31Lopez doing all the right things
27:32and Medina also
27:33making this fight
27:34really tough for him.
27:35Learning a lot.
27:36Yeah, another close round.
27:3712 of 36
27:38for Lopez.
27:3910 of 33
27:40for Medina.
27:41They both have landed
27:42seven body shots.
27:43But Lopez has landed
27:44the hardest shots.
27:45And it's about
27:46to punch him
27:47with another left hand.
27:48Three of them
27:49at the end of the round.
27:50And Medina's lucky
27:51that happened
27:52in the last two seconds
27:53of the round.
27:54That was a devastating
27:55left hand.
27:56You alright?
27:57Yeah.
28:00You cannot stay
28:01on the fucking ropes.
28:02You gotta make him
28:03go back.
28:04You understand me?
28:05Deep breath for me.
28:06Deep breath for me.
28:12Alright, here we go.
28:13Here's Medina
28:14backed into the corner
28:15and boom.
28:17Right hand low,
28:18left hand high.
28:19He had him looking
28:20the other way
28:21and now he's really hurt.
28:22If there was 10,
28:2315 more seconds
28:24in this round,
28:25Medina would have been gone.
28:28You can tell
28:29by his eyes right there.
28:30He's still holding.
28:31Yeah, the eyes.
28:32How he was walking.
28:33He was out of balance.
28:34Yeah.
28:35He was like,
28:36check please.
28:37Check please.
28:38Exactly.
28:42Well, he got a gut check
28:43for sure at the end
28:44of the round.
28:45And this is that
28:46eighth and final
28:47round as
28:48Gio La Rocca,
28:50the Rock Lopez
28:51at 21
28:52looking to improve
28:53to 17-0
28:54while Ricky Medina,
28:55the 23-year-old
28:56looking to get back
28:57on track
28:58after his second loss.
28:59Does Lopez try to go
29:00for the knockout
29:01here in the last round?
29:02He should.
29:03Exactly.
29:04BBC prelims on prime.
29:05It's a Canelo pay-per-view.
29:06He got all the experience
29:07he needed in this fight.
29:08Now, get the knockout
29:09at the very end.
29:10He loves a knockout.
29:11He's never scored
29:12a knockout
29:13beyond this round.
29:14And here it is,
29:15the eighth and final round.
29:18Good defense there.
29:19Nice pivot.
29:20Good turn by Lopez.
29:21That'll be cherry on
29:22the cake for Lopez.
29:23He boxed really good.
29:24He did a fantastic job.
29:26Medina obviously
29:27gave him a hard fight,
29:28but ending it
29:29with a knockout.
29:30He's almost doubled him up
29:31in total connects
29:32throughout the fight
29:33as Lopez.
29:34Well, on my notes here,
29:35I have two words
29:36to describe Medina.
29:38Tough and brave.
29:39And he's really
29:40showing that.
29:41Is and a word?
29:42That's three words.
29:44First minute of the eighth.
29:46We're busting
29:47those cojones early.
29:49A minute gone here
29:50in the eighth and final round.
29:51There's that sharp jab.
29:52And you wonder
29:53what the cornerer
29:54instructed him to do
29:55in this final round.
29:56And Joe,
29:57you as a coach,
29:58I mean, you might be
29:59a little bit frustrated
30:00there with Lopez
30:01because you know
30:02that he can go out there
30:03and finish this guy.
30:04But he's taking his time.
30:05He's waiting too long
30:06for my liking.
30:07There is uppercut
30:08that Lopez knows
30:09from that uppercut.
30:10One of the rare occasions
30:11we have seen tonight.
30:12He loves that left uppercut
30:13on the inside.
30:14You've got to let
30:15those hands go.
30:16If Medina was a knockout
30:17puncher,
30:18you might say box
30:19this round.
30:20Just get out of the fight.
30:21But he isn't.
30:22He's got a 50% knockout
30:23ratio basically.
30:24I would go for it.
30:25He could risk it.
30:26Coming into this fight,
30:27Lopez's biggest win.
30:29A 10 round unanimous
30:30decision over former
30:31world title challenger
30:32Eduardo Baez.
30:34Back in June of last year
30:35he dropped Baez
30:36in round nine.
30:37Won a clear
30:3810 round decision.
30:40So he continues
30:41to grow
30:43as a fighter overcoming
30:44the first cut
30:45of his career here
30:46midway through this fight.
30:48And with a minute
30:49now left
30:51Gio Lopez
30:52will he search
30:53for his 13th knockout
30:54or will he be
30:55content
30:56to cruise
30:57to another victory
30:58another step
31:00as he grows as a professional
31:01prize fighter.
31:03The corner's done
31:04a great job.
31:07Down goes Medina
31:08for the second
31:09time in his career.
31:11He's having a hard time
31:12getting out of there.
31:13Come to me.
31:14Come to me.
31:15You want to continue?
31:16You good?
31:17Show me something.
31:18Lopez looking
31:19to close the show
31:20in style.
31:22It's all been
31:23thanks to that
31:24left hand Medina
31:25trying to show
31:26that double toughness
31:27trying to survive
31:28to the final round.
31:3020 seconds.
31:31Final bell.
31:35Lopez sitting
31:36down on the punches.
31:38Has Medina
31:39on the ropes.
31:40Medina's corner
31:41instructing him
31:42to tie Lopez up.
31:47Oh!
31:48So Lopez
31:49goes eight
31:50full rounds
31:51overcomes
31:52a cut
31:53knocks Medina
31:54down in the eighth
31:55and we'll
31:56we'll take this
31:57fight going away.
31:59That was a great fight
32:00number one.
32:01Lopez
32:02learned a lot
32:03and Medina
32:04really hung in there
32:05tough.
32:06You got to give him credit.
32:07No, no doubt.
32:08And the three words
32:09are right.
32:10The roll cut
32:11from Medina
32:12in that eighth round.
32:13Tough and brave.
32:14Let's look
32:15at the replays
32:16here from Lopez.
32:17Beautiful left
32:18and there's the
32:19Oh!
32:20He set it up.
32:21He set it up
32:22with the right hook
32:23and the left hand
32:24came straight
32:25into the chin
32:26of Medina.
32:27Down he went.
32:28And you saw
32:29he actually
32:30pulled Medina's
32:31left hand down
32:32with that right hook.
32:33That was a smart move.
32:35And then dropped
32:36the left hand in.
32:37We got to give it
32:38to Medina too.
32:39He got up
32:40and he finished this fight.
32:41They did a great job
32:42stopping the blood
32:43in the corner
32:44on that cut
32:45on Lopez's eye.
32:46That's a nasty
32:47little cut.
32:48That's going to take
32:49a few stitches.
32:50Yeah, Medina
32:51has been defeated
32:52twice.
32:53Never stopped.
32:54Lost again
32:55as we mentioned
32:56to Raymond Ford
32:57back in June of 2022
32:58via 10-round
32:59unanimous decision.
33:01Ford was also
33:02a lefty, remember?
33:03And now he faces
33:04well, his third
33:05lefty beat
33:06Juan Antonio Lopez
33:07in May of 23
33:08two fights ago.
33:09But Medina
33:10in tough against
33:11the 21-year-old
33:12Gio Lopez
33:14incurred that cut
33:15around the right eye
33:17but appears to be
33:18a cut above
33:19when it comes to
33:20this fight tonight.
33:21Let's get the official
33:22decision.
33:24Ladies and
33:25gentlemen
33:26after eight rounds
33:27of action
33:28we go to the judges
33:29scorecards.
33:30All three judges
33:31are in agreement
33:3280-71
33:34for your winner
33:35by unanimous
33:36decision
33:37and still undefeated
33:39Gio
33:40La Roca
33:43Lopez
33:46So
33:47on the first fight
33:48of the night here
33:49on the PBC Prelims
33:50on Prime
33:51Gio Lopez
33:52who's trained by
33:53Eddie Reynoso
33:54who also trains Canelo
33:55who of course will defend
33:56his lineal super middleweight
33:57title in the main event
33:58but Lopez
33:59improves to...