The young Puerto Rican bantamweight star Juan Manuel Lopez took care of business, and foe Cesar Figueroa in brisk fashion on Saturday evening in Hato Rey, PR. A lead left hand/right hook combo sent Figueroa, a 30-year-old Mexican fighter, to the mat, and he couldn’t beat the count of ten. The time of the stop: just 47 seconds into the first round.

Truthfully, this first defense of the WBO super bantam title for JunaMa (23-0, 21 KOs) was a bit of a gimme; Figgy came in with a 30-6 mark. He’d lost to Ghost Guerrero in Dec. 2004, then lost to Al Seeger in his next outing in Sept. 2005. Both were stoppage losses. He took 2 ½ years off, and then beat two sub-journeyman and was given a title shot.

OK, this was more than a gimme. Golfers, what’s easier than a gimme?

Hopefully, JuanMa’s next scrap will be against a worthy foe and TSS will devote the amount of time and space it deserves. May we suggest another crack for Ponce De Leon?