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Saturday, October 02, 1999
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Lopez finally moves up in weight, to fight for title
Ricardo Lopez, who held the WBC strawweight title for nine years, will take on IBF champion Will Grigsby.
By Royce Feour
Review-Journal
There was talk for years that Ricardo Lopez, the longtime World Boxing Council strawweight champion, was going to move up in weight.
After all, how long can someone continue to fight in the 105-pound weight class, boxing's lightest division?
The answer for Lopez is until tonight. The Mexican will challenge Will Grigsby, the International Boxing Federation junior flyweight champion from St. Paul, Minn., tonight in a 12-round fight at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Until moving up in weight, Lopez was boxing's longest-reigning champion. He had held the WBC strawweight championship since 1990, when he stopped Hideyuki Ohashi in the fifth round in Tokyo.
Lopez also set a non-heavyweight record for the most successful defenses in one weight class at 21 in the 105-pound division.
The 32-year-old announced after winning a 12-round split decision over Rosendo Alvarez of Nicaragua on Nov. 13 at the Las Vegas Hilton that he would not fight at 105 pounds again and would move to the 108-pound division.
Lopez said he was informed a few days ago that he had been stripped by the WBC of his strawweight title because he is fighting for another organization's title.
It's actually a moot point because Lopez repeatedly has said he would not fight at 105 again.
"It was very difficult making the 105-pound limit," he said.
"I am grateful to the WBC for all it has done. I am a professional fighter. I will step in the ring and do what I have to do (against Grigsby)."
However, Lopez said he won't move up in weight again after tonight's fight to the 112-pound flyweight division.
Although it is only three pounds difference, Lopez said fighting at junior flyweight is a new experience.
"I feel comfortable at this weight. I always give my best in every fight," he said.
Lopez said he didn't need any tuneup fights at 108 before challenging for a title.
"No, I actually feel very strong," he said. "I was not able to fight any longer at 105. I feel excellent at this weight."
Lopez said there has been discussion that he might fight Michael Carbajal, the former WBC and IBF 108-pound champion, who now has the World Boxing Organization light flyweight title.
"My goal is to fight in 2000 and then not fight again after that," he said. "I definitely do plan on retiring."
Lopez, 47-0-1, weighed 108 pounds, and Grigsby, 14-1-1, weighed 107 at Friday afternoon's weigh-in.
Although it was under weird circumstances, Lopez also gained the World Boxing Association minimum weight title in his most recent fight when he took a split decision over Alvarez.
Alvarez had vacated the WBA title on the scales when he weighed in at 108 1/4 pounds for the 105-pound title fight. Lopez had made the weight at 103 1/2 pounds.
But to keep the fight for Showtime, the WBC, the WBA and the two camps reached a compromise to have the fight anyway.
The agreement was that Lopez could win the WBA title that had been held by Alvarez, but Alvarez, even if he had won, could not win the WBC belt.
Mexico's Julio Cesar Chavez, a former champion in three weight divisions, will take on Willy Wise of Westbury, N.Y., in a welterweight 10-round fight.
Christy Martin of Orlando, Fla., will face Daniella Somers of Belgium in a 10-round women's welterweight bout.
The nine-bout card is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. in the Hilton Pavilion.
Other bouts:
Ricardo James Gonzalez, Denver, vs. Radford Beasley, St. Louis, featherweights, 10 rounds.
Antonio Tarver, Orlando, vs. Mohamed Ben Guesmia, Algeria, light heavyweights, 10 rounds.
Emmett Linton, Tacoma, Wash., vs. Rafael Pineda, Colombia, super welterweights, 10 rounds.
Freddy Rojas, Chile, vs. Alex Lubo, Miami, super lightweights, 10 rounds.
Kofi Jantuah, Ghana, vs. Servando Perales, Las Vegas, welterweights, eight rounds.
Ricardo Vargas, Mexico, vs. Francisco Tejador, Colombia, super flyweights, 10 rounds.
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Printable version of this story
Veteran Ricardo Lopez will fight at 108 pounds tonight at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Photo by Clint Karlsen.
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