Ricardo Lopez

Mexican Ricardo Lopez retired unbeaten

Ricardo ‘El Fininto’ Lopez (51-0-1 38KO)

Ricardo ‘El Finito’ Lopez Nava retired with an outstanding unbeaten record that surpassed the famous 49-0 record of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Rocky Marciano. This great ‘little’ Mexican, who stood 5 ft 5 inches tall, defended his WBC strawweight title 21 times, a record for the division to rival the great bigger men such as champions Larry Holmes and Joe Louis.

Growing Up & Turning Pro

Born July 25, 1966, Ricardo Lopez  grew up in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and from the age of 12 until 18, he compiled a an amateur record of 37-1, picking up 4 consecutive Mexican national titles along the way. At 18 in 1985, Lopez turned professional  in his hometown and put together a string of seven knockouts. 4  years later  in 1989, after compiling a record 23-0, Lopez fought for the WBC Continental  Americas title and knocked out Rey Hernandez in four rounds. A few months later in 1990, he defended this title against Jorge Rivera, scoring another sensational knockout to show that it wasn’t just the heavyweights that could put on a brutal display of punching power.

Start of His Reign

On October 10, 1990, Ricardo Lopez upgraded his WBC to a world championship when he defeated the Minimumweight champion Hideyuki Ohashi of Japan. Lopez toured various countries in Asia, defending his title against credible contenders. He then unified the division with the WBO after defeating Puerto Rico’s Alex Sanchez in 1997, and then he captured the WBA title too in 1998 after defeating Nicaragua’s  Rosendo Alvarez in their rematch. Their first fight was ruled a technical draw after Lopez suffered a terrible cut from an accidental headbutt, ending Lopez’s 47 winning streak. The rematch was settled however in a split decision in Lopez’s favour, despite Alvarez coming in 12 pounds heavier than Lopez.

Lopez’s last fight was a KO win over South African Petelo

Expanding his conquest

After Lopez had vacated his titles, Lopez moved up in 1999, targeting the IBF champion in the light flyweight division, Will Grisby. He defended his newly acquired title until 2001, when he noticed his reflexes slowing up. He said: I saved money from the ring for my family. I didn’t want to be a great champion in a psychiatric hospital”.

Ricardo Lopez and Julio Cesar Chavez were two of Mexico’s best

Legacy

No doubt because of his small size, Ricardo ‘El Finito’ Lopez often flies under the radar among many boxing fans. However, there was nothing small about Lopez’s achievements, or his impressive ring ability and punching power. Lopez holds the record (along with Joe Louis and Floyd Mayweather) for consecutive title bouts without a loss, and his retired unbeaten streak is among the most impressive in history. Julio Cesar Chavez and Salvador Sanchez are seen as having waved the flag of Mexico in the boxing world with the most honour, but it would be a mistake to think that the great little man Ricardo Lopez doesn’t deserve to be amongst such company when observing history.