José López (boxer)

On June 23, 2001, López defeated Javier Cintrón by technical knockout to win the WBO Latino super flyweight title. After losing his third fight for the WBO flyweight championship to Fernando Montiel in a fight where he scored a knockdown in the ninth round, López began defending the regional title, beginning an undefeated streak of six years.[5] On June 7, 2002, he defeated Alejandro Moreno by unanimous decision, as part of a card held in Reno, Nevada. Three months later, López was paired against Alberto Ontiveros, winning by technical knockout in three rounds.[6] On September 19, 2003, he returned to action following a year of inactivity. In this contest, López defeated Everardo Morales by unanimous decision, winning the WBO Latino flyweight championship. On December 12, 2003, he competed against Juan Alfonso Keb Baas, receiving a draw from the judges.[7] In his first defense of the WBO Latino title, López defeated Omar Soto by knockout in two rounds. On June 25, 2004, he defended the regional title in Puerto Rico, winning against Javier Cintrón by technical knockout. This was followed by a rematch against Keb Baas, whom he defeated by technical knockout in eleven rounds.[7] In his only fight of 2005, López won by knockout against Luis Ángel Martínez in an unification fight, which also included the World Boxing Council's FECARBOX flyweight title.[8] On April 1, 2006, he fought against Ilido Julio for the WBC Latino flyweight championship, winning by technical knockout. This was followed by a contest versus former world champion Kermin Guardia, whom he defeated by unanimous decision in ten rounds. On December 16, 2006, López defeated the incumbent Mexican flyweight champion, Juan Alberto Rosas, by majority decision.[9] In his only fight of 2007, he fought Antonio María Cochero Díaz, winning by unanimous decision. On April 5, 2008, López received his second regional championship opportunity in the super flyweight limit. He challenged Juan Mercedes for the WBO Latino super flyweight title, defeating him by technical knockout in four rounds.[10] Four months later, he was paired against Oscar Andrade, receiving a technical knockout victory.[11] The outcome was product of referee intervention after was knocked down on three occasions. On October 4, 2008, López defended the WBO Latino super flyweight title for the first time, defeating Jonathan Pérez by technical knockout in seven rounds.[12]

López became the second contender for the title held by Montiel. However, Bob Arum, Montiel's promoter, announced on January 8, 2009, that he was having difficulty to make the flyweight limit, choosing to vacate the championship.[13] Nonito Donaire, who was scheduled to fight against Montiel, was the considered López's next opponent.[13] Ultimately, Pramuansak Phosuwan was the pugilist selected to fight for the vacant title. The card, which was held at the Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez in Bayamón, marked the first time that López fought for a world championship in Puerto Rico.[14] In the first round both pugilists were effective in their offense, with López scoring more often.[15] The following round, Phosuwan was able to connect while avoiding damage. After the third stanza, both fighters were more aggressive, which favored López, who connected with jabs and power punches.[15] In the sixth, Phosuwan returned to the offensive, pushing his opponent to the ropes with combinations. Early in the following round both pugilists traded combinations, with López landing a solid punch before the recess.[15] At this stage of the contest, Phosuwan began displaying symptoms of exhaustion. López dominated the ninth and tenths rounds, which featured pauses to fix the tape around his gloves.[15] This pattern continued during the following chapter, Phosuwan was injured before the bell.[15] In the last round, both traded punches and combinations, with Phosuwan being more active on the offensive. The judges presented scorecards of 116-112 and 117-111 twice, all in favor of López.[15] In his first defense, the pugilist competed against Marvin Sonsona. However, the challenger was able to keep López on the defensive following a knockdown in the fourth round. Consequently, Sonsona received a unanimous decision of 114-111, 115-110 and 116-109.[16] After eleven months of inactivity, López returned to activity against fellow Puerto Rican and the International Boxing Organization's flyweight champion, César Seda Jr., at a catch weight.[17] A week before the contest, a case filed by PR Best Boxing, who claimed that they still had a fight left in his contract, was dismissed.[18] This allowed López participation in the card organized by Javier Bustillo's Universal Promotions, which promotes Seda.