Josesito Lopez Fighter Profile, Biography & Career Record (30-4, 18 KOs)
Josesito Lopez’s career has been steadily progressing, as he has arisen to score some huge upset wins. Coming back from a split decision loss to Jesse Vargas, Lopez was able to convincingly defeat Victor Ortiz, in a fight he was heavily favored to lose. From the outcome of this fight, Lopez is now scheduled to fight Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez this September.
Amateur Career:
Lopez fought over 70 bouts in his amateur career. However, Lopez was never able to rise to the top of the amateur ranks, perhaps due to the lack of commitment to the sport, where he was only able to train and fight during his spare time. Nevertheless, Lopez was still able to win titles at the Junior Olympics and capture the Silver Gloves.
Since turning professional in 2003, Lopez was able to successfully win the majority of his bouts. However, Lopez’s past two years have given him great success as he’s been able to fight much tougher and stronger opponents, winning more prestigious titles. He has been the opponent for most of his fights, going into the ring against hyped prospects. But, he began showing a penchant for knocking them off, and becoming the upset specialist in boxing. Now, he has his own big following, and he is continuing to rise to new challenges and opportunities.
NABF light welterweight title:
In January 2011, Lopez was given the chance to fight Michael Dallas Jr. for the vacant NABF light welterweight title. The fight was scheduled for 10 rounds but in the 7th round, Lopez managed to knock Dallas out, securing his first major title in his career. Winning this title was a milestone for Lopez, giving him more opportunity to fight better and more well-known boxers. Again, in this instance, Dallas Jr. was the favored fight, but Lopez simply wouldn’t take no for an answer in the ring.
Fight against Victor Ortiz:
Lopez’s win over Victor Ortiz in June this year was a shock to boxing fans around the world. Many had believed that Lopez was the underdog of this fight and did not stand much of a chance against Ortiz. Not to mention that Ortiz was slated to fight Canelo Alvarez, assuming all he had to do was get past Lopez, who was in his first fight moving up from Junior Welterweight.
However, this was not the case. Lopez fought a brilliant fight and managed to break Ortiz’s jaw in the 9th round. This injury caused a stoppage to the fight and a successful win for Lopez. It was an entertaining fight, and with Canelo Alvarez in need of a new opponent, Josesito’s name got pushed to the front of the line.
The Future for Josesito Lopez
Lopez has had a remarkable 2012 and his career is now truly on the brink. As Lopez gears up to fight against Mexican boxer Saul Alvarez, he is again considered an underdog in this fight. Many analysts have labeled this fight as a mismatch and believe that Lopez may actually be knocked out. However, Lopez is known to be at his best in just such instances. It’s a lot to ask, but he has nothing to lose, as he is moving up yet again and will always be able to come back to 147 lbs. We will watch closely as to how the Lopez vs. Canelo fight turns out, and what lays ahead for him after that.
