Luis Alberto Lopez is a great fighter – that’s said – but if you prefer something a little more personal, instead of calling him the “Road Warrior,” we’ll call him the “Boo-Loving Brawler.”
The featherweight’s 10th-round KO loss to Angelo Leo in Leo’s hometown of Albuquerque, NM, has given him another tough opponent, proving one thing: Lopez has no problem entering enemy territory and hearing the boos. In fact, he might even enjoy it.
Lopez (30-3, 17 KOs), of Mexicali, Mexico, has had a memorable run and while the win gives Leo a nice rise up the rankings, it’s time for Lopez to rethink things.
How did Lopez become such a fantastic underdog story? He defied the system. His co-manager Hector Fernandez from Cordobaputs it simply: “Nobody ever expected anything from us. Every time we went on the road, it wasn’t because they thought we could win. Every victory we got on the road was because they thought we were an easy opponent.”
While most may find going on tour daunting, Lopez embraced it, which showed in his attitude in the ring. According to Fernandez, “It was a ‘fuck you’ attitude. Every time we got an offer to fight somewhere else, even that last fight with Angelo Leo, we were supposed to fight in Arizona. When they picked the opponent, Angelo Leo, they brought us to New Mexico. Every time we made an offer to Venado, his attitude was like, ‘Fuck you. I’m going to show them what I can do. Fuck them, fuck the opponent, fuck everybody.'”
In today’s boxing world, two losses can feel like the end. Politics don’t favor the underdog and confidence plummets when the clear path to a title looks more like a maze. After his second loss to Ruben Villa at ShoBox: The Next Generation in May 2019, Lopez began to look like a gatekeeper at junior lightweight – a role that is about as glamorous as it sounds. Lopez, ever the troublemaker, had other plans. Two fights later, he delivered a fifth-round technical knockout of undefeated Golden Boy Promotions lightweight prospect Cristian Baez
The real turning point came over a year later when he scored a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Gabriel Flores Jr., once the youngest fighter to sign with Top Rank. Lopez didn’t just win – he did it with reckless abandon, taunting Flores in the ring as if he was auditioning for the role of a villain in a movie. After beating Flores, Lopez decided that featherweight was his new playing field, despite his wins at junior and lightweight.
Lopez’s style is also known for its awkwardness – his chin is often in the air, he rarely uses a jab. Where did Lopez learn that? Well, on the streets of Mexico, which were a great testing ground for him.
“He was basically on the streets,” Fernandez said. “He pretty much did street rehabilitation in the gym. When people ask me how he got that awkward style, it’s because he literally learned how to fight on the streets. There’s no technique, no jab, no foundation behind his boxing, but it worked. So he perfected his imperfections and created his own style that way.”
Lopez then went to York Hall in England to face Isaac Lowe, best known as Tyson Fury’s buddy. Lopez didn’t just beat Lowe – he knocked him down in the first and second rounds and finished the fight with a body shot in the seventh round. To keep things interesting, he wasn’t content with beating A-side fighters at home – now he was doing it abroad too.
Two fights later, Lopez faced IBF featherweight titleholder Josh Warrington in Warrington’s hometown of Leeds. It was an ugly fight that doesn’t usually end well for the visiting side, but Lopez defied all expectations to win by split decision and take the title, extending his winning streak since the loss to Villa to 10.
Lopez wasn’t done yet. He then traveled to Belfast to face two-time Irish Olympian Michael Conlan, whom he stopped in the fifth round. With a smug demeanor, Lopez continued his winning streak against A-side fighters on their home soil, grinning as if he knew the punch line of a joke that no one else got.
All good things must come to an end. Lopez defended his title two more times against Joet Gonzalez and Reiya Abe before his luck – or stamina – ran out. On Saturday, Lopez received a brutal reminder of how fleeting success in boxing can be. Leo’s one-punch knockout was the same blow that destroyed the boxer’s career that Lopez had dealt to others. Now it’s Lopez who is on the ropes.
When asked if there will be another “Venado” Lopez, Fernandez just chuckled and said, “I wish I could tell you yes, but I don’t think there will be because promoters don’t give guys with a blemish on their record a chance. Everyone is looking for perfect records and everyone is looking for the perfect fighters. It’s now or never, so I don’t think promoters are going to allow that Cinderella story. Could there be more? Of course there will be. We’ve seen it in the past, but it’s tough.”
What made Lopez great was his defiance of the institution. He was meant to be a stepping stone, but he refused to fit the mold. After his loss to Leo, Lopez went to the hospital.
“He had a small brain hemorrhage,” Fernandez said. “We stayed overnight in the hospital. In the morning we did another MRI and the neurologist told him that the bleeding had stopped and that he should do another MRI in six months. So if Venado wants to keep fighting, I told them that I will turn down any offer until the six months are up and we do another MRI because for me it’s not about money, it’s not about my legacy. It’s about life. The fighters are like my children or my siblings, so I wouldn’t put them in danger.”
While the Hall of Fame may not be interested, Lopez would be a no-brainer for the Hall of Very Good. After all, it’s not every day you find a fighter who enjoys being the bad guy in the ring and has a pleasant demeanor outside of it. Lopez ended up surprising most, if not all, people.
“When ESPN asked me if I was surprised, I said I was surprised that we were able to successfully defend the belt three times with a guy like that,” Fernandez said. “It’s just a matter of time. It could be the next time, but you’re always ready to take that loss. … Not the way it happened. We always thought that if we lost, it would be on points. The way it happened, it was horrible. It was awful. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
