Teofimo Lopez stopped Diego Magdaleno in brutal fashion on Saturday (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)

By Chris Robinson

On Saturday night, rising prospect-turned-contender Teofimo Lopez reminded everyone why he’s one of the emerging forces of the lightweight division with a brutal seventh round knockout over former two-time title challenger Diego Magdaleno.

Lopez (12-0, 10 KO’s) delivered a pair of left hooks in the aforementioned seventh that put the courageous Magdaleno (31-3, 13 KO’s) down and out, as the referee didn’t need to bother to count.

Lopez, still just 21 years old, spoke afterwards of his victory over the veteran Magdaleno.

“I take nothing away from Diego Magdaleno,” said Lopez. “We picked our shots, and we knew that in the later rounds, he’d drown in those deep waters. As the competition gets tougher, you will see more of what I can do. I dissected him like a surgeon.”

The buzz has been high on Lopez and his performances have been eye-opening. Word is that he is seeking a showdown later this year with former two-division champion Jose Pedraza and that could be a fun fight.

Chris Robinson can be reached at CRobinson@hustleboss.com