How good was Ricardo Lopez?

It is indeed true that Lopez was undefeated, and has won two titles. What's better is that he really dominated one weight class (105 lb) in which he was considered to be the best ever to set foot in that division. He also made his presence felt at 108 despite being a shade past his prime.


Stylewise, Lopez was neither blood and guts exciting or dull boring. He's in between. He's the true definition of a cerebral boxer. He's a bit cautious in the opening rounds, you can easily see him trying out which things will work out against the opponent. He'll try a one-two here, dig to the body there, or hook off his opponents jabs. One thing is certain, one Lopez figures you out, he'll continually expose that weakness and never strays from that gameplan. The scary part is, he can sense if you're ready to go and Lopez is an excellent finisher.


This guy really has it all, skills, chin, heart, intelligence, and most importantly, for a guy who weighs just as much, he can fire cannon shots from either hand. (truth be told, Lopez looked like RJJ at 175. He's a hair quicker than almost everybody and hits harder than almost everybody.)



Now, why is he not that high from historical perspective? Simple. As mentioned above, Lopez fought at 105. A division that was created 3 years from the time he won his title. That he was able to fight on a weight class that perfectly suits his dimensions detract from his standing. Had Lopez fought 50 years ago, he'd be facing guys who naturally weigh 112 lbs.
Check out the flyweight history from 1900's. You will see hundreds of men who fought behemonths at 112 would actually be strawweights today.


It would've been a different scenario had he also dominated the 112 division.

 

I think having a rival in Rosendo Alvarez(no slouch himself) is enough for Lopez. It's just a shame he never fought Arce when they were still at 105.

 

Honestly one of the best mexican boxers ever IMO, in the H2H sense. Great technician, had every punch in the book, employed just about every defensive move to near perfection but was far from just a one trick pony who could only box you. He wasnt afraid to get in there and really have a go and he could seriously punch for a man his size.
You watch him fight and it seems like you average sub flyweight fight, very quick, lots of work but not much power in the shots. But he was wearing the other guy down with his skill and could finish it in an instance.
As Sug said he was a great finisher.

If he had been 20 pounds heavier he would have been a superstar.

 

It's always great to hear someone giving Ricardo Lopez the respect he much deserves, he just dosn't get enough.

 

that crazy bork stalker had the same name.

I didnt realize it until now. This thread had me googling ricardo lopez

 

How the hell was he boring to watch?

If you're looking for opinions on his style threadstarter, disregard that one. Lopez was the very definition of what a textbook boxer should be. Marquez is just decent in comparison. He had every punch in the book, combinations, defense, great movement, and excellent accuracy/power. He showed why the textbook was written and executed it at the highest level. Brilliant boxer.

 

:good Technically speaking,skill wise,he was as close to perfect as you might get.

 

These threads pop-up once in a while and it's nice to see Finito get some props. Lopez is one of the greatest fighters of his era and also
one of the most underappreciated and underpaid!

 

Better than what he is rated.

Lopez is rarely if ever mentioned as one of the best fighters of this era. I have continruously rated him in the top 5 of this era only to see him go unrated by many.

 

From the standpoint of textbook technique, there's not many better than Lopez. In fact, he's probably number one in that category. He was a precision boxer-puncher who could do it all. Great puncher, great power, excellent defensively, great footwork, accuracy, timing. You name it, he had it.

 

How do you think he does against Carbajal, Gonzalez, and Chang at 108?