Salido stops Lopez to keep his featherweight title

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Mexico's Orlando Salido stopped Juan Manuel Lopez in the 10th round Saturday night to retain the WBO featherweight title and beat the Puerto Rican for the second time in a year.

The 31-year-old Salido earned a technical knockout at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum to improve to 38-11-2 with 26 KOs. The 28-year-old Lopez dropped to 31-2 with 28 KOs.

Last April, Salido beat Lopez with another technical knockout in the eighth round.

"I was analyzing him. ... He was already tired," said Salido, who was warned several times for hitting below the belt. "It is a great victory."

Salido said he wanted to maintain constant pressure on Lopez, who knocked down Salido in the dying seconds of the fifth round with a forceful right.

Two of three judges had Lopez ahead on points when the fight ended.

"It was no doubt a difficult fight," said Peter Rivera, vice president of PR Best Boxing Promotions. "It could have ended for either fighter. Both were tired. We lost this fight, but it won't be the end."

Cheering the fighters were Puerto Rican boxing greats Felix "Tito" Trinidad and Ivan Calderon along with Mexican greats Julio Cesar Chavez, Jorge Arce and Juan Manuel Marquez.

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