The referee stopped the fight in the eighth round. The challenger, Japan's Reiya Abe, reeled under a barrage of punches from Mexico's Luis Alberto López, who retained the belt in his third title defence. 'Venado' López was far superior to the Japanese boxer and scored a resounding victory. He remains the International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight champion. 

López was cheered on by a sell-out crowd at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. The crowd cheered on the Mexican. López, who took the belt from Josh Warrington in December 2022, added another win to his record and now has 30 wins and 2 losses. 

The fight lived up to expectations. The champion was in control from the outset. López was looking for a close fight, while the Japanese boxer kept his distance, dodging and trying to land a good shot. In the second round, 'Venado' landed a vicious shot to Abe's face. The pace of the fight changed. Abe's eye began to swell.

The referee considered stopping the fight several times. Abe's corner tried to stop the bleeding on his face, but 'Venado' López continued to punch and score. The Mexican was far superior. Abe soon realised he couldn't handle his opponent. Two very different styles clashed in New York: Luis Alberto Lopez (30-2, 17 KO) and Reiya Abe (25-4-1, 10 KO).

His two previous title defences were against Michael Conlan and Joet Gonzales. Both took place in 2023. Against Conlan at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, López landed a right uppercut midway through the fight that sent his opponent to the canvas. The decision to throw in the towel was made by Conlan's corner.

The other defence took place at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. He retained his title with a unanimous decision win on scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. The win is good news for Mexican boxing. Adrián Curiel and Alejandro Santiago recently lost their world titles. American Raymond Ford won the vacant WBA (World Boxing Association) title.