Luis Alberto Lopez faces Reiya Abe live from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York on Saturday, March 2. The pair squares off in the co-feature on the card topped by Otabek Kholmatov vs Raymond Ford.
Mexico’s Luis Alberto Lopez (29-2, 16 KOs) makes the third defense of his IBF featherweight title. The 30-year-old champion is confident in his victory by knockout against 30-year-old southpaw Reiya Abe (25-3-1, 10 KOs) of Yama-gun, Fukushima. Following a recent training session in Santa Fe Springs, California, the native of Mexicali, Baja California also said he was looking to unify the belts at 126 lbs and move up to junior lightweight.
“I decided to do my camp here in Los Angeles so I can be a little closer to my family,” Luis Alberto Lopez said. “I also like it because of the altitude I get to experience when I go to the mountains. There are a lot of good spots to run out here. I feel great out here.”
“We’ve gotten tall southpaws who move a lot because we’ll need to neutralize Reiya Abe’s legs. We’re going to need to cut the ring off a lot, so we’re preparing for his style of fighting.”
“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.”
“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.”
In the main event, Uzbekistan’s undefeated Otabek Kholmatov (12-0, 11 KOs) and unbeaten Raymond Ford (14-0-1, 7 KOs) of Camden, New Jersey battle it out for the vacant WBA featherweight title. Among the undercard bouts, Brian Norman Jr (25-0, 19 KOs) of Decatur, Georgia and Detroit’s Janelson Figueroa Bocachica (17-2-1, 11 KOs) clash at welterweight.