Junior welterweight David Lopez made a remarkable statement on Friday at the OTX 11 show in Corey Studios, Atlanta. He stopped Marlin Sims in the first round under rather unusual circumstances.

David Lopez's Explosive First-Round TKO

David Lopez's Fight with Marlin Sims

20-year-old Lopez from Oakland, California, dropped the 32-year-old Sims from Tampa, Florida with a right hook in the closing 30 seconds of the round. As Lopez pressed for the stoppage, referee Malik Waleed seemed on the verge of intervening, but the bell rang to end the round. There was confusion in that moment. Sims' corner informed the referee between rounds that their fighter couldn't continue, resulting in a first-round TKO officially recorded at 3 minutes. After the fight, Lopez said, "I want to be an explosive fighter that fans look forward to seeing." His father and trainer, Kris Lopez, stated that their goal is to fight 4-6 times in 2025, aiming for potential Prospect of the Year honors. Lopez improved to 7-0 (5 KOs), while Sims fell to 8-4 (4 KOs) with his fourth consecutive loss.

Nathan Lugo's Knockout Streak

Local favorite super middleweight Nathan Lugo from Marietta, Georgia, extended his knockout streak to three. He began his career with a fourth-round technical knockout over Mardoche Ilunga from Irving, Texas, at 44 seconds of the round. 24-year-old Lugo dominated the first two rounds with aggressive pressure and nearly scored a knockdown at the end of the third when he caught Ilunga with a left hook as he retreated. In the corner, his trainer and father, Mike Lugo, urged him to finish the job, saying "scared money doesn't make money." Referee Thomas Taylor halted the bout after Lugo unleashed a barrage of punches and Ilunga failed to respond (despite not appearing hurt), prompting the stoppage in this four-round fight. Lugo improved to 3-0 (3 KOs), while Ilunga fell to 1-1-1 (1 KO).

Maliek Montgomery's Victory

Lightweight Maliek Montgomery from Macon, Georgia, missed weight but still managed to stop Namibia's Sakaria Lukas in the fourth round at 1 minute, 40 seconds. 29-year-old Montgomery used his power to push Lukas, 40, back in the opening round, and his relentless punch output continued into the second. Both fighters pressed forward, and Lukas stumbled from a flurry of punches before being ruled down in the second round. It could have been called a slip, but Lukas didn't protest. Montgomery's high-volume attack put Lukas down again in the third. A brutal left hook to the body from Montgomery ended the fight in the fourth round, giving Lukas no chance to recover. Montgomery improved to 20-0 (18 KOs), while Lukas fell to 26-3-1 (18 KOs).

Jonathan Mansour's Unanimous Decision

In the opening bout, lightweight Jonathan Mansour, 24, from La Mesa, California, earned a four-round unanimous decision over Luciano Ramos, 29, who trains out of the Nick Diaz Academy. The fight lacked significant action as Mansour controlled the bout tactically. All three judges scored it 40-36. Mansour improved to 3-0 (1 KO), while Stockton, California's Ramos, who missed weight by more than three pounds, fell to 2-8. Ramos made a bold entrance, walking out to Limp Bizkit's "My Way."Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of "Inside The Ropes of Boxing" (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.