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.

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.

Puerto Rican junior middleweight Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KO) wanted to end the Mayer vs. Ryan fight with a break, but the robust Damian Sosa (25-3, 12 KO) did not give up easily and pushed the team. The 22-year-old will settle for a unanimous decision to exclude (100-90, 3x).

Zayas quickly found his rhythm, already in the third round he relied on punches and responded to Sosa’s pressure with pointed counterattacks. Whenever Sosa attacked, Zayas responded with precise power shots, alternating between the body and the head.

In the middle rounds, Zayas had the complete advantage, hitting Sosa with a right hand in the sixth over. Despite trying to reach the finish line, Zayas was unable to push Sosa away as the Mexican fighter persevered until the final bell.

Zayas said: “He pushed me and took me to the next level. Now I feel like I’m ready. I felt like I was ready before. But now I think I’ve let everyone know I’m ready for elite names.

“Man, they said he threw 84 punches a round. I didn’t see it today. I did my job. Now I need to serene down, relax and see what my promoter wants. I want whoever is in the top five.”

Brooklyn-born featherweight Bruce Carrington took a hard-fought 10-round majority decision over Ugandan challenger Sulaiman Segawa by scores of 95-95 and 97-93, twice.

Segawa (17-5-1, 6 KO) entered the fight with increased confidence after his victory over Ruben Villa in July. He wanted to repeat this success against Carrington (13-0, 8 KO), catching him with quick counterattacks in the first rounds.

Carrington found his rhythm in the third and fourth rounds, charging forward with a concentrated, full-body attack. Segawa responded in the fifth, however, and the two rushed back and forth, jockeying for position and exchanging single shots while avoiding counterattacks.

Segawa landed more punches throughout the fight (416-358), although he gave up in the final round. Carrington earned 10th place on all three judges’ cards.

Carrington said, “I owe him a lot {for this education today}. This will just take me to the next level. I just learned to deal with the irregular pace. I have a few things I need to work on at the gym. We need to get back on track and play more dominantly. But as long as we get a ‘W’ at the end of the day, we’re still good.”

Further results

Junior middleweight: Vito Mielnicki Jr. (20-1, 12 KO) from Recent Jersey made his MSG debut after a hard-fought and deserved 10-round majority decision against Italian Khalil El Harraz (16-6-1, 2 KO). Mielnicki tried to keep the fight at bay, but El Harraz often reduced the advantage. As the action moved inside, Mielnicki responded with precise body shots to maintain control. Scores: 95-95, 100-90 and 98-92.

Bantamweight: Floyd Diaz (13-0, 3 KO) defeated Mario Hernandez (12-5-1, 4 KO) after eight rounds. Diaz counterattacked and checked left hooks to keep the aggressive Hernandez at bay, then knocked him down in the fifth with a perfectly timed right uppercut. Diaz reached the finish line, but the brave Mexican veteran persevered until the final bell. Scores: 78-73 2x and 77-74.

Junior welterweight: Dominican Elvis Rodriguez (17-1-1, 13 KO) secured an impressive 10-round unanimous decision victory over Kendo Castañeda (21-7, 9 KO). Rodriguez took over the fight with body shots in the fourth round, followed by a series of powerful punches in the fifth round that caused a cut above Castaneda’s left eye. Scores: 100-90 2x and 99-91.

Junior welterweight: Tiger Johnson (14-0, 6 KO) overcame the toughest challenge of his career to date, defeating Puerto Rico’s Yomar Alamo (22-3-1, 13 KO) by eight round unanimous decision. Johnson dealt with Alamo’s clumsy style with footwork and clinch, then unleashed pointed counterattacks from the outside. Scores: 78-74 2x and 77-75.

Junior welterweight: Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (14-0, 9 KO) defeated Argentine veteran Marcelino Lopez (37-5-1, 22 KO) in the sixth round. Polanco gave Lopez the first knockdown of his 17-year career with a pointed right uppercut in the third quarter. Lopez survived, but Polanco forced him to kneel twice in the sixth set, leading to referee Eddie Claudio stopping the fight at 2:08.