Álvaro López is a former Mexicanboxer and current member of the Boxing Hall of Fame. A native of Zacatecas, Zacatecas, López was very popular among Mexicans and is considered by many as one of the greatest Light Heavyweights to never become world champion.
Early life
The story of López starts with his birth under a bull ring in the Plaza de Toros San Pedro in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico. He was raised for 14 years underneath the seats in an adobe garage of a famous Bullring in Zacatecas. A Young López had dreams of becoming a Matador, but those dreams were shattered when in his teens, he got a shot at fighting a bull. After about four or five passes, the bull drove his horn into his ankle which shattered it. With that shattered ankle came shattered dreams of becoming a bullfighter.
Amateur career
López ended his amateur career with a record of 13-3. At the Diamond Belt Championship in Eureka, California, he knocked out the defending champion to win the title. A lot of Native Americans were at the event and asked his trainer Jack Cruz, if Álvaro was Native American. Cruz lied and told them that López was of Yaqui heritage.
On October 9, 1976, López lost a very disputed decision to world champion John Conteh. Many thought López had pulled off the upset. The fight was held in Denmark.
WBA Light Heavyweight Championship
Álvaro met Víctor Galíndez in two installment for the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship. The fights were held in Italy and both bouts went the distance. Some boxing writers thought that Álvaro won the fights, though the decision victories went to the champion, Galindez. He was one of the very few boxers of his time to challenge James Scott at the Rahway State Prison.
In Álvaro's last world title attempt, he would lose to the much younger WBC Cruiserweight Champion, Carlos De León. López would then wait almost a year and fight Bash Ali, before retiring from boxing.
Legacy
Lopez is a member of both California Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. He has his own gym named after him, Yaqui Lopez's Fat City Boxing. During Álvaro's career he faced Víctor Galíndez, Mike Rossman, Mike Quarry, Tony Mundine, Jesse Burnett, James Scott, S. T. Gordon, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Carlos De León, Michael Spinks, and John Conteh.
