Najee Lopez passed a tough test Wednesday night, winning a 10-round majority decision over Marcos Escudero at the ProBox TV Events Center in Plant City, Florida.
With super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga in his corner, Lopez (10-0, 8 KOs) fought like a veteran in the co-feature of "Wednesday Night Fights." The judges scored the bout 95-95, 97-93 and 99-91 in favor of Lopez.
Lopez, 24, started the fight relaxed, attempting to establish his jab early on. Although Escudero (14-3, 12 KOs) came forward, forcing the action, Lopez won a lot of early rounds by simply establishing his range and landing clean shots.
By the fourth round, a fight broke out. The fifth saw some big shots landed by Lopez, as well as a head clash. Lopez's right eye began to swell in the sixth.
Lopez’s conditioning became the story of the fight. Having never been past the sixth round, Lopez found himself in uncharted waters with Escudero, 30, who pushed forward and gained a lot of momentum late in the fight. Lopez, looking to land a big counterpunch, had to bite down and do his best to fight fire with fire.
Escudero, who noted that he was in the best shape of his career, put it to the test Wednesday. By the eighth round, both fighters wore the marks of battle – Escudero cut under his right eye and Lopez showing damage around his right eye.
When Lopez landed a big body shot that distressed Escudero, he seemed to sense a change in the fight and turned up the aggression.
The last two rounds were unhinged and unpredictable. Both fighters appeared tired and damaged, but neither backed down. Together, they put on a dramatic, thrilling bout, with the final round – featuring a frantic pace and a bit of showboating from Escudero – serving as tribute.
The deflating score of 99-91 seemed to sting Escudero, who left the ring promptly. Lopez quickly moved to talk to him, but Escudero was out of the ring already.
The bout was the co-feature of the ProBox TV telecast headlined by Justin Pauldo versus Miguel Maduneo.
