As we get closer to the end of the year, boxing media and fight fans alike begin to quantify and discuss which fighters deserve acknowledgment for end of the year awards. “Fighter of the Year,” “Fight of the Year,” and “Round of the Year” all go up for discussion. But my favorite fighter honor has to be “Prospect of the Year.” It encompasses the very best aspects of the fight game as it recognizes the fighter for all they did that year combined with the expectations they’ve manifested for years to come.
One fighter that might be a bit under the radar for this award is Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez, who went 4-0 on the year, bringing his professional record to 13-0. He managed to score two very impressive knockouts in his first two bouts and then was in tough against another undefeated fighter in Eliecer Aquino. The Aquino fight was televised on ShoBox and Lopez proved his grit by digging deep against a very skilled fighter. Lopez earned the majority decision and, more importantly, received some valuable experience points in the process.
Lopez is scheduled for a fight on November 6th against Tony Valdez at The D Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Like his last fight, the card will air on Showtime’s ShoBox series with Antoine Douglas headlining against Les Sherrington.
This will mark the 5th TV undercard Lopez has appeared on – he saw TV time in all but one of his previous outings in 2015 – but this fight will not be his finale on the year.
Lopez told Thaboxingvoice.com that if everything went according to plan he would attempt a 6th fight in 2015. His promotional company, GH3, promised Lopez that they would keep him busy after his previous handlers failed to keep him as active as he would’ve liked. Now, if he gets the victory over Valdez unscathed, he will get his opportunity to fight once more before the year ends.
Thaboxingvoice has been informed that Lopez will appear on Keith Thurman’s undercard in San Antonio, Texas on December 12th. This date for Lopez is significant considering he was born 25 years ago on the date. It will be one of the most important birthday gifts he’ll ever receive as he tries to cement his status heading into 2016 with title aspirations on his radar.
Team Lopez told TBV earlier this month that GH3 is more than hopeful that he will get a world title shot before next year is up and he intends on leaving an impact in the minds of fans as he draws closer to his dream of being a world titlist.
