Lopez, two-time Olympic champion in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020, was defending his IBA Pro World Champion title in the division of up to 80 kilograms and did so effectively against Russian boxer Nikita Zon in the main event at the Agenda Arena.

The Russian fighter was called on several occasions for hitting below the belt, but as the fight progressed he rose, although not enough to tip the scales in his favor. In the tenth and final round, the Cuban boxer sent his opponent to the canvas twice and ultimately won the fight by knockout.

It was Lopez’s fifth victory in a row as a professional fighter, after winning the belt for his weight class in August, when he defeated Luis Antonio Tejada, from the Dominican Republic.

Finol, in turn, beat Shakhobidin Zoirov, from Uzbekistan, for the IBA Pro World Championship in the 57-kg division.

The advantage obtained in the first rounds by the Venezuelan figher, Olympic runner-up in Rio 2016, was enough for him to take the victory and his first world title.

Here our dreams are materializing. I am proud to carry this tricolor around the world. Long live Venezuela! said Finol, who was born in Merida.

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