Louie Lopez Jr. (proper) vs. Cristian Dominguez in February 2022. (through Instagram @b_lopez2422)
Louie Lopez Jr. is seeking to proceed his profitable streak since struggling the primary lack of his professional profession.
Lopez will face unbeaten Adrian Gutierrez tonight on the Doubletree Resort in Ontario, California. The eight-round welterweight bout will headline a five-bout “Path to Glory” card that may stream dwell on the Thompson Boxing Promotions Fb and YouTube pages, in addition to ThompsonBoxing.com (11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT).
At Thursday’s weigh-in, Lopez weighed in at 146.9 kilos. Gutierrez weighed 146.4 kilos.
Lopez (12-1-1, 4 knockouts), who resides in close by Corona, final fought on August 20, defeating Elias Diaz by unanimous resolution in a detailed and aggressive struggle. Like Gutierrez, Diaz entered the Lopez struggle unbeaten and is a San Diego-area resident.
The 26-year-old Lopez has received his final 4 bouts since dropping to then-unbeaten Saul Bustos in September 2020. One other win tonight might solidify Lopez’s place as a legit prospect at 147 kilos.
“Gutierrez is a very good fighter,” mentioned Lopez earlier this week. “I’m not blown away by his file, however I do know mentally he’s coming to win and sees this as a giant alternative. He has by no means misplaced, and I’ve. So in some methods, he has a bonus in that regard, however I’ll present I’m the vastly higher fighter. I take a look at fighters like Daniel Roman and Timothy Bradley; Thompson Boxing had them struggle powerful opponents in order that they may very well be prepared for step-up fights. I wish to be the following nice fighter for this promotion, and as a way to do this, I’ve to beat good fighters.
“I wish to be taken significantly. I wish to get into massive fights. A loss actually derailed my profession in some sense, however the comeback has been fulfilling. It additionally made me a greater fighter, so I’m grateful for the training expertise. However it has been very taxing mentally, bodily and emotionally. A win right here continues my march towards the highest of the division, as I do know who I’m, however I have to exhibit it to the world. [Tonight], I’m able to set 2023 with an enormous win.”
Tonight will mark Lopez’s sixth struggle in opposition to an unbeaten fighter since turning professional in February 2018.
Gutierrez (12-0-1, 6 KOs) knocked out Daijohn Gonzalez within the second spherical of his final bout on August 27. The 27-year-old has received his final six bouts since combating to a majority draw in opposition to Lennard Davis in September 2018.
Within the co-feature, Manuel Flores of Coachella, California, will sq. off in opposition to Mexico Metropolis’s Armando Hernandez Torres (26-22, 19 KOs) in an eight-round bantamweight bout.
Flores (13-0, 10 KOs) has stopped his final 5 opponents.
Ioannis Manouilidis (3-0), who’s initially from Athens, Greece, and now resides in Los Angeles, will face Guadalajara’s Erick Garcia Benitez (3-3, 1 KO) in a four-round light-weight bout.
Exhausting-hitting middleweight Nelson Oliva (4-0, 4 KOs), who additionally resides in Los Angeles, will sq. off in opposition to Iowa’s Mike Plazola (2-2, 1 KO) in a four-round bout.
Opening the Thompson Boxing card is a six-round welterweight bout between Juan Sanchez (4-0, 4 KOs) of close by Buena Park in opposition to Guadalajara’s Miguel Angel Barajas (3-2, 2 KOs).
Longtime broadcaster Wealthy Marotta will name the motion whereas Ring Journal Editor-in-Chief Dougie Fischer will present coloration commentary.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has lined boxing in Southern California and overseas since 2000. Francisco additionally covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He could be reached at [email protected]
