Josesito Lopez has made an improbable run to earn the chance to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez for the WBC Light Middleweight title, but this time the underdog will fall before 12 rounds are over.
Lopez is 30-4 in his career with all four of his losses coming via a decision. Alavarez is currently undefeated with a 40-0-1 record.
Alvarez, a 22-year-old phenom, is promoted by Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy. He is supremely talented but has yet to prove himself against a big-name fighter in his prime.
Lopez, 28, likely would not be considered a big-name fighter if not for his last fight. He looked to set for the fifth loss of his career against Victor Ortiz, but Lopez then broke Ortiz’ jaw and won with a TKO. Had Ortiz won that fight, he would have been the fighter taking on Alvarez tonight.
But now Lopez—who has fought 26 of his 34 fights at 140 pounds or lighter, according to ESPN’s Dan Rafael—will take on Alvarez at 154 pounds.
This is a fantastic opportunity for Lopez, but he is severely outmatched against Canelo, who is a much larger and more powerful fighter.
As Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal said via RingTV, “Josesito Lopez is a very good fighter — at 140 pounds. He's a good fighter at 147. But 154 might be asking a bit too much."
Alvarez is already a heavy hitter against opponents used to fighting in his preferred weight class, and he has 29 knockouts in his 40 wins. Canelo’s punches will do significantly more damage in this fight than the ones Lopez is able to lay on him.
Lopez is a gutsy fighter, but he is simply too far out of his league this time. He will suffer far too much damage by the later rounds to successfully defend Alvarez’ aggressive attack.
By the 10th round, Canelo will be landing punches with greater ease, and he will land the knockout blow to remain undefeated.
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