Yaqui López

Álvaro López (born May 21, 1951, in Zacatecas, Mexico) is a Mexican former boxer and current member of the Boxing Hall of Fame.[1][2][3] A native of Zacatecas, López is considered by many as one of the greatest Light Heavyweights to become world champion.[4][5]

Yaqui Lopez
Statistics
Real nameÁlvaro López
Nickname(s)Yaqui
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Cruiserweight
Light Heavyweight
Height6 ft 3 in (192 cm)
Reach77 in (197 cm)
NationalityMexico Mexican
Born (1951-05-21) May 21, 1951
Zacatecas, Mexico
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights76
Wins61
Wins by KO39
Losses15

Early life

López was born under a bull ring in the Plaza de Toros San Pedro in Zacateca, Mexico. He grew up underneath the seats in an adobe garage of a famous Bullring in Zacatecas.

A Young López had dreams of becoming a Matador. During his very first bull fight when López was in his teens, a bull drove its horns into his ankled and shattered it. Due to his injury, López decided not to purse becoming a bull figher

Amateur career

López ended his amateur career with a record of 13–3. At the Diamond Belt Championship in Eureka, California, he knocked out the defending champion to win the title. Many Native Americans attended the event and asked his trainer Jack Cruz, if Álvaro was Native American. Cruz lied and told them that López was of Yaqui heritage.

Professional career

In April 1972, Álvaro would win his pro debut against Herman Hampton. The bout was held at the Civic Auditorium in Stockton, California.[6] The two would rematch in Carson City, Nevada less than two months later, with Álvaro stopping the bout early by knockout in the 2nd round.

WBC Light Heavyweight Championship

On October 9, 1976, López lost a very disputed decision to world champion John Conteh. Many people in the crowd thought López had pulled off the upset. The fight was held in Denmark.[7]

WBA Light Heavyweight Championship

Álvaro met Víctor Galíndez in two installments for the WBA Light Heavyweight Championship. The fights were held in Italy. Some boxing writers thought that Álvaro won the fights, though the decision victories went to the champion, Galindez.[8]

He was one of the very few boxers of his time to challenge James Scott at the Rahway State Prison.[9]

1980 Fight of the Year

López would later fight in Ring Magazine's 1980 Fight of the Year against WBC Light Heavyweight Champion, Matthew Saad Muhammad. The first half of the fight was dominated by López, with all three score cards very close up until the fourteenth round. Álvaro eventually ran out of energy to continue fighting and was stopped.[10]

WBC Cruiserweight Championship

In Álvaro's last world title attempt, he would lose to the much younger WBC Cruiserweight Champion, Carlos De León.[11] López would then wait almost a year before fighting Bash Ali. Following the matchh, he retired from boxing.[12]

Legacy

Lopez is a member of both California Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.[13][14] He has his own gym named after him, Yaqui Lopez's Fat City Boxing.[15] During Álvaro's career he faced Víctor Galíndez, Mike Rossman, Mike Quarry, Tony Mundine, Jesse Burnett, James Scott, S. T. Gordon, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Carlos De León, Michael Spinks, and John Conteh.[16][17]

References
  1. "Yaqui Lopez - BoxRec".
  2. "Chatting with the champ: Yaqui Lopez". Max Boxing. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  3. Wainwright, Anson (2018-11-22). "Best I Faced: Yaqui Lopez". The Ring. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  4. "Alvaro "Yaqui" Lopez: The Zacatecas Matador". 11 April 2011.
  5. "Down Memory Lane: Paul Malignaggi, a New-Age Yaqui Lopez?". Bleacher Report.
  6. "BoxRec: Event".
  7. "BoxRec Boxing Records". boxrec.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-30.
  8. "A champion without a belt". 2006-01-07. Archived from the original on 2006-01-07.
  9. "BoxRec: Event".
  10. "Alvaro Lopez boxer". www.fightsrec.com. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  11. "BoxRec: Event".
  12. "Inaugura boxeador zacatecano su gimnasio-museo en EU". zacatecasonline.com.mx.
  13. "Where Are They Now; Alvaro "Yaqui" Lopez". 22 July 2005.
  14. "Lopez finally among champs | Recordnet.com". 2012-04-06. Archived from the original on 2012-04-06.
  15. www.yaquilopezsfatcityboxing.com
  16. "None".
  17. "Yaqui Lopez Never Took a Backwards Step". 10 February 2005.
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