Tag Archives: Top Rank on ESPN

Luis Alberto Lopez to Defend IBF Featherweight Title vs. Joet Gonzalez

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Luis Alberto Lopez is going on the defensive.

The 29-year-old Mexican professional boxer will defend his IBF featherweight title vs. Joet Gonzalez on September 15 in Corpus Christi, Texas, per ESPN.

Luis Alberto Lopez, El VenadoLopez, ESPN‘s top boxer at 126 pounds, will headline a “Top Rank on ESPN” show for the first time in the U.S.

Lopez won the title with a majority-decision victory over Josh Warrington in December and retained the belt with a brutal fifth-round TKO of Michael Conlan in May. Both bouts took place in the U.K.

Lopez (28-2, 16 KOs) has won 11 fights since a 2019 decision defeat to Ruben Villa. Now, Lopez will meet a fellow action fighter in Gonzalez, 29, who fights out of Los Angeles.

Two of Gonzalez’s three defeats came via decision in title challenges (against Emanuel Navarrete and Shakur Stevenson). Gonzalez (26-3, 15 KOs) also dropped a decision to Isaac Dogboe last year.

Teofimo Lopez to Fight Sandor Martin Next Month in New York

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Teofimo Lopez has reportedly locked in his next opponent…

The 25-year-old Honduran American boxer and former lightweight champion has agreed to fight Sandor Martin on December 10 in New York, according to ESPN.

Teofimo Lopez Jr.Martin (40-2, 13 KOs) replaces Jose Pedraza, who withdrew from the 140-pound Top Rank on ESPN bout with a non-COVID illness.

Martin, a 29-year-old Spaniard, scored a career-best win last year with a major upset of Mikey Garcia. Martin had never competed outside Europe but traveled to California as a 10-1 underdog to defeat Garcia, a former four-division champion, via majority decision. Garcia announced his retirement afterward. 

Now, Martin has parlayed that victory into another career-defining opportunity. He was considered for the Lopez assignment before Pedraza landed the fight, but he remained in training.

A tricky boxer with an impressive jab, Martin will once again be facing long odds.

Lopez (17-1, 13 KOs) was recognized as one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters before he dropped a decision to George Kambosos last November in ESPN‘s upset of the year. It was later revealed that Lopez fought Kambosos with a slight esophageal tear.

Lopez, who fights out of Las Vegas, returned from his first defeat in August with a seventh-round TKO over Pedro Campa in his 140-pound debut. His 135-pound campaign included a victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko to capture the undisputed lightweight championship.

This will be Lopez’s third fight following ESPN’s annual coverage of the Heisman Trophy presentation. He’s rated No. 9 at junior welterweight.