ROAD warrior Luis Lopez can be excused for having bigger prizes in mind when he surrenders home advantage once again defending of his world featherweight title on Saturday night.

The 30-year-old Mexican makes the fourth defence of his belt against former super-bantamweight champ Angelo Leo in the challenger’s home town of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Yet, despite his reign taking place on foreign soil, the Mexicali mauler is focused on establishing himself as the #1 nine-stone (126lb) fighter on the planet in the hope of a bankable super-fight to come.

Pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue is expected to move up to feather next year in a bid to add a fifth weight class world title to his astounding resume.

And Lopez is one of four current 126lb kings determined to position themselves as the biggest attraction.

 

EL VENADO

After taking the belt from Josh Warrington in his native Leeds in 2022, Lopez has successfully defended against Michael Conlan in Belfast, Joet Gonzalez in Texas and Japan’s Reiya Abe in neutral New York.

‘El Venado’ (tr. The Deer) carries a 30-2 record with 17 career knockouts. But that doesn’t quite tell the story of a fighter who has blossomed on the biggest stage.

Unbeaten in his last 13, dating back to 2019, 10 of those victories were KO’s despite only four of the first five taking place at home on Mexican soil.

A road warrior in every sense of the word, Lopez would jump at the chance to take his belt to Japan to face Inoue if the opportunity arose.

He said: “Making the fourth defence of my title is a great achievement… (but) we’re looking forward to big challenges because big fights are coming. Perhaps unifications. Maybe Naoya Inoue? Definitely something big.”

EL CHINITO

However, looking past a challenger as live as Leo could prove to be a monumental mistake.

The 30-year-old has just one defeat on his 25-fight card, when he dropped his world title on points to Stephen Fulton at the start of 2021.

He bounced back quickly, then had almost 18 months out before moving up to featherweight at the end of last year. Since, he’s added three impressive wins, including two inside the distance.

FIGHT OF THE YEAR?

Perhaps lacking the power of the champion, Leo is a busy fighter with a high workrate who likes to come forward and take control of the ring. Fighting at home in front of his own fans will ensure he’s firing on all cylinders.

I am expecting an all too under the radar fight of the year contender, with the power versus output match-up ensuring the title destiny remains firmly in the balance.

Lopez’s record as champion should ensures he starts as favourite, but look past Leo at your peril who, despite coming up a weight class, is naturally the taller and longer fighter.

This one is likely to run very close with that Inoue super-fight the last thing on Lopez’s mind as he nervously awaits the judge’s verdict.

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