A new season of sports
Luis Alberto Lopez's winning streak continues, and he's grown into a force to be reckoned with in the professional boxing featherweight division.
This weekend, Luis Alberto Lopez will take on Japanese fighter Reiya Abe at the Spinner Rock Entertainment Center in Verona, New York, for a gradual third defense of the IBF Featherweight World Title.
It's fair to say that the 30-year-old Luis Alberto Lopez is the smoothest fighter in the featherweight division. After suffering a defeat in 2019, many people have lost hope in his career, believing that he can only serve as a whetstone for those who are strong rookies or strong challengers, but he himself refuses to play that role. After perseverance, Luis Alberto Lopez became a respected world champion.
Looking back at Luis Alberto Lopez's record, we can find that he has defeated seven favored fighters, including Christian Báez of Golden Boy Boxing, Andy Vinces at the top of the rankings, Gabriel Flores Jr. and Isaac Lowe. The two most important bouts were held in the UK, though, where he defeated World Champion Josh Warrington in Leeds, England to win the IBF Featherweight World Title. He then moved on to Belfast in Northern Ireland, where he knocked out local fan hero Michael Conran.
When Luis Alberto Lopez defeated Jote Gonzalez by unanimous decision last September, he was no longer the foil of the promotional poster, but a true C-position.
Still, the always modest Luis Alberto Lopez is still adapting to this identity. His agent, Hector Fernández, told reporters: "We're still adapting, Luis Alberto Lopez is still very reserved in front of the camera, he sometimes looks at me and says, 'Damn, I look my best when I'm in a supporting role.'" I'll continue to play a supporting role. ’”
However, Luis Alberto Lopez's supporting career is unlikely to last forever. Mexico, which is rich in boxers, now has top fighters like Sur Alvarez, Emmanuel Navarrete and Juan Francisco Estrada, and Luis Alberto Lopez is gradually moving closer to them. He is using every opportunity to advance his career, losing to Abraham Montoya and then Ruben Villa early in his career. None of these defeats stopped Luis Alberto Lopez from moving forward. Unlike many fighters who overestimate their record, Luis Alberto Lopez is a tough contender and seems to like to silence the crowd in the crowd just as much as his compatriot Orlando Sallido (who once defeated Vasily Lomachenko in an unfavourable situation).