Perfect left-hand shot stops Oliver midway through the third.

By: Christopher Roche

With a perfectly timed left hand, Reynaldo Lopez ended Mike “Machine Gun” Oliver’s undefeated string. As Oliver lay face down on the canvas, his title hopes went up in smoke.

Both men cruised through an uneventful first round, and in the second, Lopez landed an ominous, hard right hand that caused Oliver to clutch and hold. Oliver looked to use his speed, and Lopez looked to time Oliver coming in. The bout got sloppy in the second, and the referee, Dick Flaherty, earned his money.

Oliver, of Hartford, CT, was looking to showcase his talents in front of a friendly crowd at the Roxy in Boston’s South End. He was also hoping the ESPN cameras would capture a performance that would springboard him to a title fight against Steve Molitor. However, in the third round, Lopez landed a shot that echoed up and down the Mass Pike.

Oliver attempted a right hook, but Lopez slipped inside of the rangy punch, and the 34 year-old southpaw uncorked a left hand that sent Oliver directly to the canvas. Oliver rose at the count of 9 and three-quarters, but he was not set to continue. The bout was waved off at 1:22 of round three.

With the win, Lopez, of Colombia, moves to 28-6-2, 19 KO’s. Oliver, 28, suffers his first defeat, and his record drops to 21-1, 7 KO’s. With this performance, Lopez surely earned himself a few more big fights at super bantamweight. As for Oliver, he must regroup, but he still has many possibilities. New York area fans would love to see him in a rematch with Gary Stark, Jr., for example.