Lopez vs. Abe Preview
The Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York will play host to a dynamic title fight on Saturday, March 2nd. IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez will defend his belt against mandatory challenger Reiya Abe.
Lopez (29-2, 16 KO) will be defending the belt for the third time after winning it back in 2022 with a majority decision win over long-time champion Josh Warrington. He most recently defeated Joet Gonzalez by unanimous decision in September.
The Mexican fighter has studied his opponent and knows what he will need to do to remain champion. “He’s a very slippery fighter. He doesn’t really like to brawl. So, it’s going to be difficult to catch him in the early rounds. But we’ve got great sparring partners. You can tell by the black eye one of them left me. I think we’re doing a great job, and I expect to win this fight by knockout. My long-term goal is to fight the other champions and become a unified champion. I welcome a fight with whomever is next in line. Honestly, I want to unify the titles quickly and establish myself as a great champion and then move up to 130 pounds,” Lopez said.
Lopez is ready to put on a show for the fans. “The fans know that I give everything in the ring. I always look for the fight. I always look to win by knockout. They know that I come here to fight. So, it’s going to be a real war. It’s going to be a bit complicated in the early rounds, but everyone knows that when I step in the ring, it’s always going to be a war,” he continued.
The 30-year-old knows big plans start with a win over Abe. “It’s been a grandiose year for me, ending with victories, important steps forward, getting myself closer to a unification fight,” he said. “The fight I have upcoming is a good fight, all fights are good but it’s nothing like these unification fights and that’s what I’m desiring to do. God willing, after that we can have a unification fight against anyone. It doesn’t matter to me, as long as it’s a good deal. We’re ready for everything, we don’t have any favorites, whoever is there, whoever wants to face me, so we can give a great fight.”
Lopez has proven in his last three fights he can make good on his promises of exciting fights and taking the fight to his opponents. Abe will be walking into hostile territory but Lopez cannot get comfortable in being the reigning champion, no title defenses will be easy fights moving forward.
Abe (25-3-1, 10 KO) defeated former world champion Kiko Martinez in his last fight by unanimous decision last April. He will be fighting outside of his home country of Japan for the very first time against Lopez.
The 30-year-old spoke about his first time fighting in the United States. "I am traveling a long way to fulfill my dream of becoming champion of the world. Lopez is a tough opponent, and I will give it my all to bring a world title home to Japan," Abe said.
Abe has won six straight since suffering the third loss of his career back in 2019. He stayed consistent with his gameplan to outpoint Martinez in his last fight, but it is likely he will not have that luxury with Lopez. He will have to do more than win on points and find a way to counter Lopezs’ aggressive style.
Also on the card is a fight for the vacant WBA featherweight title between undefeated prospects Otabek Kholmatov and Raymond Ford.
Kholmatov (11-0, 10 KO) is coming off a KO victory over Thomas Patrick Ward in March of 2023. The 25-year-old from Uzbekistan flew under the radar for nine fights, but in his last fight he traveled to Ward’s home and defeated him brutally. He now has a chance in his short professional career to become a champion.
Ford (14-1-1, 7 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over former champion Jessie Magdaleno last April. The 24-year-old is ready to prove to the world he has worked to become a champion. “He got a lot of holes in his game. I’m a go in there and dominate. That’s what I train to do. I’m not going in there looking for a close fight. I’m a completely outclass him and show him and the whole world that he’s not on my level,” said Ford.
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