who wins the battle of these outstanding featherweights. lopez was perhaps the hardest one shot hitter the devision had ever seen. pedroza perhaps its greatest bodypuncher. both were very tall, pedroza 5´8 (average height for a welterweight) and lopez was 5´7. overall, i think pedroza was the better technitian. he could box at long range behind a jab or he could get inside and fight real dirty. he was not a big hitter, but his bodyblows wore out most opponents. lopez was a classic one punch hitter. he jused his jab just to set up that big right hand. never cared to much about defense. but when he hit you.......goodnight. neither one had great chins. lopez was down more often than i can remember. but one has to remember that pedroza also suffered a couple of ko´s earlier in his career. i think this would be really exciting. lopez would drop pedroza early, maybe even more than once. but slowly by the mid rounds i see pedroza turning this around with his sustained bodyattack and eventually stop lopez in a thriller. pedroza ko14 lopez.
Good match-up and I'm a big fan of both guys but I have to agree with Sal and see a Pedroza win by Decision rather than the late TKO that Sanchez realised over Danny. . . . twice. Pedroza usually found a way to win his bouts whether by dubious methods or otherwise but the guy was in a bit higher class than Lopez who may not have had the greatest chin but had a tremendous heart and was a hugely entertaining fighter. I was thinking about a Wilfredo Gomez v Danny Lopez fight at 126lb the other day as it was supposedly meant to happen afer Wilfredo beat Nestor Jimenez - apparently Gil Clancy was going to play match-maker. . . . would have been another interesting one.
I'm suprised about Lopez, does everyone really think he was a huge hitter? From most accounts yes, but his style was an enigma, he threw heaps of punches yet was a one shot KO artist? :huh Weird
More definition, just power or more? But no, i would say not. Certainly mentionable, but i class the likes of an Arguello clearly higher.
The first major televised fight I saw in San Diego after getting out of Navy boot camp was Zamora vs. Pedroza. I knew Zamora's reputation but little about Pedroza, other than that he was given a good shot at taking the bantamweight title away. But Zamora clocked him with that brutal left hook and that's all she wrote. I gotta admit, I'm a Little Red Lopez fan because I saw several of his fights and admired the way he rebounded from adversity, both to get off the canvas or withstand punishment, and to snap back from a losing streak to claim the title. I'll go with Lopez on this one. No way it reaches 15 rounds, tho', not the way he and Pedroza fought. Lopez, TKO in 9. And I'll bet Danny would hafta scrape himself off the canvas at least once during the first three rounds - he was a bit of a slow starter.
Lopez has been sadly forgotten for the most part by today's fans, that is, if they've ever relly heard of him at all. H e was one of the most dramatic, Julian Jackson type one shot ko artists that I've ever seen. He ranks right up there with Bob Foster, Julian Jackson, and a handful of other one shot specialists. I'll never forget seeing him on the undercard of Ali-Spinks 1 or 2, defending his Featherweight title against Juan Malvarez of Argentina, when he was decked in the early moments of round 1. The Argentine crowd erupted with wild cheers, and probably were anticipating their man to blow out Lopez and bring the crown back to Argentina. Midway through the second round, however, "Little Red" caught Malvarez coming in with the most casual, understated right hand bomb that traveled maybe 6 inches, and the Argentine dropped to the deck as though he were shot. Out cold!!! The ref could have counted to 1000, and Malvarez did'nt move. Lopez barely lifted a glove in acknowledging this spectaular ko win. He was amazing. However, that much said, I doudt if he would be able to figure out Pedroza, one of the dirtiest, trickiest, craftiest and yet, most underestimated fighter of all time. Pedroza by a foul filled 15 round decision.
Anyone who watched boxing in the late 70s would not of forgotten about Little Red. His influence was big all though the 80s as well, because he was a measuring stick for the TV fighters of the decade.