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Luis Lopez feels ready to fight in the lion’s den against Angelo Leo for the 126-pound title

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Luis Alberto Lopez celebrates winning the IBF featherweight title. Photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

by Francisco Salazar |

Luis Lopez is the definition of a “road warrior.”

Not only does Lopez have no problem fighting in his opponents’ hometowns, but he also consistently wins and does so in impressive fashion.

Lopez, rated No. 1 by The Ring at 126 pounds, will defend his IBF featherweight world title Saturday night when he faces Angelo Leo in Leo’s hometown of Albuquerque, Modern Mexico. The 12-round fight will be headlined by Top Rank on ESPN (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).

In his last fight on March 2, Lopez (30-2, 17 knockouts) stopped Reiya Abe of Japan in the eighth round in Verona, Modern York. In his previous fight on September 15, Lopez defeated Joet Gonzalez by unanimous decision in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The 30-year-old has fought abroad in other world title defenses, including against Michael Conlan in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Lopez, who won the IBF world title against Josh Warrington in December 2022 in Leeds, England, had no problem fighting away from home, banking on his preparation and leaving nothing to chance.

“I’m used to it,” Lopez told The Ring in a recent interview. “It’s something we’ve been doing for a while. To face someone on the ‘A’ side. I’ve been to London, England, (Northern) Ireland, here in the United States. There’s no point in being uncomfortable fighting in front of any fans. We’ll be joyful to fight on August 10th to defend (my title) for the fourth time.”

“It’s the work that I put in in the gym. The way I train, the way I work, what I do in the gym, that’s the key to my confidence that wherever I go, I have the best possible preparation. I have a great team behind me. I think that’s why I have that mindset going into these types of fights. The great training camps that we have and the support of my whole team, I think that’s the key to my success in the ring.”

Lopez hasn’t lost since May 2019, when he lost a crucial fight to world title challenger Ruben Villa. Since then, Lopez has reeled off 13 consecutive wins.

Despite the setback against Villa, Lopez found success, solidifying his position at 126 pounds.

Luis Lopez (right) vs. Gabriel Flores. Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

Luis Lopez (right) vs. Gabriel Flores. Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

“We made mistakes and we made mistakes (in previous fights),” said Lopez, who is promoted by Top Rank. “Of course, I don’t have the best defense, but I think I have great reflexes and instincts. I have a lot of speed. I have endurance. And I have the confidence to be a champion. In the gym, we focus on our attributes and our strengths. We train to be the best version of ourselves in the ring. We have a style that works.”

Lopez has been open with the media and on his social media platforms about unifying the 126-pound world titles. He recently got into a spat with former WBO featherweight champion Robeisy Ramirez.

Despite other world titleholders interpreting this as positioning, Lopez will continue to demand unification fights with other world titleholders in the division.

“The whole world knows I wanted a unification fight when Robeisy Ramirez was the (WBO) champion,” Lopez said. “When Mauricio Lara was the WBA champion. That’s when I asked for those unification fights. I was ready and I’m ready for those substantial fights. This is my fourth title defense, but I should have had a unification fight by now.

“Every champion has his own motive, his own promoter, his own manager. But we’ll keep working and keep doing good things. Sooner or later, these fights will happen. We’ll keep trying to fight a unification fight as soon as possible. We’ll see.”

Despite being ranked number one at 126 pounds by The Ring, Lopez believes that in order to become the best in his division, one must become the undisputed champion.

Lopez has shown no fear of facing the best fighters in the division, considering where he has fought overseas and entering hostile territory in his opponent’s hometowns. He believes that more fighters should be willing to become undisputed, which will give the sport more weight.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’m the No. 1 fighter in the division until I’m the unified or undisputed champion. Every fighter has his own qualities and strengths. His own advantages. Every champion can beat another champion if he’s prepared to the max. Until there’s an undisputed champion, every fighter is just a belt holder. That’s it. Nothing’s going to happen in the division until those substantial fights are made.

Lopez hopes to one day fight in his hometown of Mexicali, Mexico. Junior flyweight Elwin Soto recently won a world title and hails from Mexicali.

The most famed fighter to come from Mexicali is former world champion Jorge “Maromero” Paez, who fought numerous times in his hometown.

Lopez has achieved success in the sport, winning a world title, but fighting for that title in his hometown of Mexicali would be the icing on the cake.

“It would be a dream come true for me. It would be a great fight, like years ago at Plaza de Toros Calafia, where Jorge “Maromero” Paez fought many times. Julio Cesar Chavez also fought there. I would be delighted. I have to keep winning fights so that I have the opportunity to defend my world title in Mexicali. And wait for the opportunity to make it happen. We have to work with the promoters to make this fight happen.”

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Boxing

Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul

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Mike Tyson comeback black

One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.

WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.

Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.

“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.

“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.

“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.

He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”

Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.

Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.

Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.

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Lauren Price looks to win Jonas vs Habazin with an undercard victory

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Lauren Price

Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.

Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.

Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.

Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.

Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.

Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”

BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.

There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.

Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.

McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.

English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.

Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.

Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.

After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.

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Heavyweight who knocked out Lewis to break Tyson’s record days after the feat

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Heavyweight Oliver McCall returns 2024

Mike Tyson will miss his final record-breaking days after becoming the oldest former heavyweight champion to walk through the ring.

“The Baddest Man on the Planet” reached an all-time high in Texas on Friday night, returning from a two-decade absence. However, Tyson gave the achievement five days later to former Lennox Lewis conqueror Oliver McCall.

On Tuesday night at The Troubadour in Nashville, Tennessee, the former WBC heavyweight champion returns to action and will face veteran Stacy Frazier in a fight scheduled for four rounds. At age 59, McCall will set the record for a sanctioned fight, beating Tyson by fourteen months.

McCall was born in April 1965, and Tyson’s mother gave birth to him in June 1966. “The Atomic Bull” hopes to score his 60th career victory tonight. He enters the fight with a record of 59-14, including 38 knockouts.

The Chicago native believes his continued activity over the last 19 years will be what separates his performance on Tuesday night from what Tyson looked like on Friday.

“I’m ready. I’ve been training here in Nashville for a few weeks now, but I’m always in shape,” McCall said. “It will be a completely different match than what the fans saw on Friday.

“I think being lively has a lot to do with it. I haven’t fought in five years because of the pandemic and a few things that didn’t work out.

“If you look at my record, since 2005 I have fought 25 times, of which I have won 19-6 times against quality fighters and won various regional titles.

McCall fights without financial motivation. He sees his fighting days approaching and is already planning his post-retirement plans.

“I want to do this for another year. This means I will be 40 years into my career as a professional boxer. Then I want to train and become a manager. I want to return the favor and assist the next generation of players try to become world champions.

“I came here to Nashville and contacted the manager who took me to the title [Country Box] promoter Jimmy Adams. I’m learning a lot about this aspect of the sport. I love the players here and everything that happens with Country Box.”

The Country Box 25 gala will also feature eight-round fights between super bantamweight Elon DeJesus (8-1-2, 7 KO) and Dominique Griffin (5-7-2, 2 KO), as well as super middleweight fighters. Sean Hemphill (16-2, 10 KO) fights Bryant McClain (6-5-2, 1 KO).

Airy heavyweight Isaac Carbonell (8-0, 5 KO) will face Antonio Louis Hernandez (7-19-4, 4 KO) in six-round fights; Joel Mutombo (6-0, 4 KO) vs. Kevin Torian (3-2, 3 KO) in a cruiserweight fight.

In a four-round fight, Ryan Zempoaltecatl (2-0, 1 KO) will face Raymond Chacon (10-64-1, 2 KO).

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