Luis Alberto Lopez’s career is in jeopardy after suffering a brutal 10th round knockout at the hands of Angelo Leo in August.

The knockout, delivered by a master left hook that sent Lopez’s IBF featherweight title to Leo, took place at Tingley Coliseum and left Lopez with a brain bleed, raising grave doubts about his future in the ring.

What is by far the greatest night of Leo’s career may turn out to be Lopez’s last moment in the ring.

Lopez’s co-manager, Hector Fernandez de Cordova, did not hold back in criticizing the handling of the fight, particularly pointing out referee Ernie Sharif.

“He was one of the worst referees I have ever seen in boxing,” Fernandez said. “A guy like that doesn’t deserve to fight at the level of a world champion – or even against amateurs. He’s a butcher. As a referee, you have to protect the players from each other and from themselves.”

The situation escalated further after the fight, with Lopez’s team claiming to have encountered resistance from the Fresh Mexico Athletic Commission to provide Lopez with continued medical care.

“The commission tried to convince me not to take him to the hospital,” Fernandez said. “They said, ‘You don’t have to.’ But I thought, “If you don’t want to pay for it, that’s fine.” I’ll pay for it. But we are talking about my player’s health. He didn’t even know the fight was over.

Lopez was ultimately transported to the hospital, where he spent the night for observation. “The neurologist told us the bleeding had stopped, but we would need another MRI in six months,” Fernandez said. “If Lopez still wants to continue fighting, I will decline any offer until we get an MRI. For me, it’s not about money or legacy; it’s about the life of a warrior. They are like my children, my siblings. I wouldn’t put them in any danger.

Fernandez also clarified that Lopez’s injury was not caused by a legal punch attempt. Instead, he believes the brain bleeding was the result of rabbit punches, explaining that the doctor told him the bleeding occurred at a 72-degree angle to Lopez’s left ear.

When approached for comment, Leo defended his performance, saying his actions were within the rules. “I don’t consider myself a muddy fighter,” Leo said. “I would never aim for the back of the head because of the damage it does to other players.”

Leo acknowledged the physical nature of the fight but maintained that his punches were legal. “I think a lot of the action was on the inside,” Leo said. “We were both throwing hooks to the side of the head, which is a legal strike. I got warned once for hitting the rabbit because it was too low, but other than that I don’t think it changed the fight.

The situation is further complicated by the IBF’s 10-pound limit for weigh-ins on the morning of a fight, which requires fighters to weigh no more than 10 pounds from the previous day’s weight. Lopez, who has fought at heavyweight and lightweight, may have had trouble cutting weight, potentially weakening him ahead of the fight – an issue that has yet to be widely addressed.

Despite these concerns, the most pressing issue remains Lopez’s brain damage, a stark reminder of the risks fighters take and the fine line between triumph and tragedy in boxing.

Promoter Eddie Hearn says Matchroom has no one to replace Anthony Joshua when he retires from the sport. He suspects there won’t be anyone else in the next four to five years who can replicate what 2012 Olympic gold medalist Joshua (28-4, 25 KO) has done since signing with him 11 years ago.

(Source: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

Hearn thinks AJ will fight for at least another year, two or three fights and then leave. All of these fights are expected to be substantial, with two fights against Tyson Fury and possibly a rematch with Daniel Dubois.

Joshua began his Matchroom career in 2013, knocking out his first 14 opponents in three rounds to the enthusiasm of the British boxing public.

He did not perform well at the 2012 London Olympics, winning several fights by controversial decision, with people outside the UK seeing Joshua as talented due to his fights in England.

Some believe that if these Olympics had been held in a neutral country, Joshua would not have won a medal at all. He would lose to Roberto Cammarelle of Italy, Erislandy Savon of Cuba, Ivan Dychko of Kazakhstan and Zhilei Zhang of China. I watched all these fights and thought Joshua should have lost all four.

At the professional level, Hearn has done a captain’s job of matching Joshua to the right type of opponents to make him look great. It wasn’t until after the Wladimir Klitschko fight that fans started to realize that he wasn’t as good as they thought.

“Financially, we make a lot of money, and every time AJ fights, we do well, but compared to the total revenue, especially the total boxing revenue, it’s a really diminutive part,” Eddie Hearn told Second exit when asked whether Anthony Joshua’s departure would hurt Matchroom financially.

“It is the nature and attitude of this man and the profile of events. Financially it doesn’t make a difference to us, but personally it means a lot to us because it’s been an amazing journey and it means a lot to British fight fans as well.

“So he’s definitely not retiring yet. I think you’ll see him for at least another year, so two or three fights, and then we’ll see. But the next decision will be very essential. I don’t think anyone will honestly ever take his place,” Hearn said when asked who would replace Joshua at his Matchroom boxing stable.

Joshua could retire if he knocks out early in his next fight, whether it’s Daniel Dubois or Tyson Fury. If Joshua is stopped in the first three rounds, he will likely hang up the gloves rather than continue to embarrass himself.

“When I say that, people will say, ‘Oh, there are better fighters.’ Yes, maybe, but commercially no one will be able to do what Anthony Joshua has done for boxing, certainly not in the next four to five years,” Hearn said.

Someone could eclipse Joshua commercially within five years, but that will be tough because many fighters tend to slack off once they make a lot of money. Joshua didn’t do it.

Additionally, fighters don’t compete often enough once they start turning a profit, and they can’t augment their commercial status by fighting only once a year. Either they don’t realize it or they are just inactive once they get a bunch of money. Joshua wasn’t inactive, but Hearn chose him well to protect him.

“There is no one in boxing at the moment who can even come close to the size of Anthony Joshua commercially. Hopefully there will be more, but this is certainly a one-off,” Hearn said.

Fans in the UK are much more interested in boxing than in the US and many other countries. After the 2012 Olympics, Joshua would never have been the same star in the States as he was in Britain because he would have had to fight a better opponent.

American fans wouldn’t pay attention to Joshua if he was competing against the tomato cans Hearn put him in during his first 14 fights. Moreover, they wouldn’t make much of a difference that Joshua beat 41-year-old Wladimir Klitschko the way the British public did because they would see that Wlad is ancient.

TERRI Harper is now a three-division world champion after beating Rhiannon Dixon on points at Sheffield’s Park Community Arena. Dixon defended her WBO lightweight title for the first time, which was to be the beginning of a long winning streak. Terri Harper proved otherwise. The judges added up 97-93 (twice) and 96-94, all in favor of the “modern” one.

Harper, supposedly damaged, was on point with her cleaner combinations throughout the first half of the fight. In the closing stages, she used her sharp ring trickery and punch selection to close things out. It was a mature performance by the 27-year-old.

Harper obviously felt the pace as the game wore on, but she still found a home for her robust, correct right hand on the southpaw lead. Dixon rolled up, tried to get underneath and stay occupied, as her head coach, Anthony Crolla, urged her to do.

Fighting with a bloody nose, Dixon was hit with a left hook in the ninth throw as she tried to fight to retain her title. Harper remained tranquil and returned fire to the house. Howard Foster officiated.

“This camp was long, but mentally and physically I became a modern fighter,” said Harper, for whom it was a chance to make one last roll of the dice.

“Just what I needed. I needed a little fire in the gym to keep going.”

Earlier in the evening, Peter McGrail he continued the rebuilding process by demolishing Brad Foster in the second round. Whipping body shots did the damage as Foster staggered to the canvas. McGrail has challenged British and European super bantamweight champion Dennis McCann to a fight early next year.

At the Battle of Georges, Billericay Jerzy Liddard he stopped York’s George Davey in the fifth round of a scheduled eighth.

Galal Yafai he kept his Nov. 30 date with Destin, aka Clear Edwards, alive by stopping Mexico’s Sergio Orozco Oliva in the third round of eight.