Adam Lopez has seen better days.
Once viewed as a hotshot prospect, Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) has struggled to right the ship. In addition to coming up woefully short against Abraham Nova earlier this year, Lopez has registered just one victory over the span of three years.
Personal struggles aside, the 27-year-old has somewhat been thrown a bone. On May 20th, on the undercard of Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Devin Haney, Lopez will attempt to even the score against Oscar Valdez.
Originally, the two locked horns in November of 2019. While he was considered a sizable underdog on the night, Lopez shook up Valdez, flooring the former two-division world titlist in just the second frame. Still, in spite of his auspicious start, Lopez was unable to keep his momentum going. With the young upstart ultimately tasting the canvas in the later rounds, Valdez violently finished him off in the seventh.
Now, with a chance to make amends, Lopez, despite his recent struggles, is convinced that part two between Valdez and himself will play out incredibly differently.
“Man, it’s gonna be so much different,” said Lopez during an interview with ESNEWS. “I’m a grown man now.”
Valdez, ostensibly at the peak of his powers, would love to bounce back in a big way. Following a meager 2022 schedule, Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs) sulked as he was forced to swallow the bitter pill of defeat for the first time in his career at the hands of Shakur Stevenson.
Initially, Valdez was set to jump right back into the fire and challenge Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant WBO super featherweight title. But, shortly after announcing their engagement, Valdez would hit the sidelines due to broken ribs. While his goal is to eventually face off against Navarrete, Valdez is hoping to ease himself back into the mix by facing a familiar foe.
From the outside looking in, it would appear as though Lopez is being considered somewhat of a light touch. Nevertheless, with Lopez desperate to resurrect his own career, he warns Valdez that their showdown won’t end pragmatically.
“If you think it’s a tuneup fight, you picked the wrong one.”