Luis Alberto Lopez is a world champion…

The 29-year-old Mexican professional boxer defeated Josh Warrington on Saturday to claim his IBF world featherweight title by majority decision.

Lopez did most of his best work in the first eight rounds, and despite a strong finish by Warrington, Lopez won by scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 115-113 at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.

Warrington’s home crowd was silenced by the decision after he was beaten again by a Mexican boxer; Mauricio Lara stopped him in February 2021.

“This is my moment; it comes from hard work over a long boxing career,” said Lopez, who won the belt in his first world title fight.

Warrington lost the IBF belt in a first defense of his second reign as champion.

“I started off slow, but after four or five rounds, I did some good work inside,” Warrington said. “For the last three rounds, body shots were ripping into him and all he wanted to do was hold. I’m devastated to lose my title like that. I still think I can have a big fight with one of the champions.”

Lopez (27-2, 15 KOs), known as “El Venado,” boxed immaculately at times, and the angles he threw shots from caused problems for Warrington.

After the fight, Lopez complained about Warrington’s fouling. He said he was hit on the back of his leg and was cut by a clash of heads in the second round, but he managed to retain his composure under pressure in the later rounds.

Lopez, who registered two stoppage wins earlier this year after traveling to the United Kingdom to defeat Isaac Lowe by seventh-round KO a year ago, made an aggressive start on the front foot and Warrington ended the first round with a bloody nose. Lopez launched unpredictable jabs amid a bright start but then suffered a cut by his left eye from an accidental clash of heads.

Lopez, whose corner did a good job on the cut, delivered a thudding left body shot in the third round, but Warrington mustered a quick response with a right hook. Warrington opted to fight at close range in the fifth round, and in the sixth he had some success as Lopez’s work rate dipped. But the Mexican was still very much in the fight and benefited from Warrington failing to establish his jab throughout.

Lopez landed a leaping left hook and uppercut in the eighth round, but the ninth belonged to Warrington, who was aggressive and landed his hooks. Warrington was busy again in the 10th and 11th rounds as Lopez looked ragged and was caught by the English boxer’s hooks. When Warrington caught Lopez with a left hook in the 11th round, the Mexican looked in trouble momentarily.

Both fought ferociously in the last round as they looked to secure a stoppage with the fight seemingly close on points.