Ricardo ‘El Finito’ Lopez: Paying Homage to a Legend

Boxing is more than a sport in Mexico, it’s a right of passage for many growing up. The country has produced a plethora of world champions and Olympic medalists. Very few from boxing history have retired undefeated – but one from that select list was Mexican boxer Ricardo “El Finito” Lopez, who completed at mini flyweight and light flyweight and retired with a record 51-0-1, with 38 wins by way of knockout.

Introducing Ricardo ‘El Finito’ Lopez

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The Early Journey of Ricardo Lopez

Lopez is not spoken about enough, despite being as successful as fellow countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. He fought at the minimum weight in boxing, a division that many outside of the purists will not be aware of.

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“El Finito” has everything you would want from a boxer, including excellent ring IQ, great accuracy, and KO power that many fighters wish they had. Lopez first walked into a gym at seven years old and demanded to fight another kid who was seemingly more experienced than him – and from that day – boxing became his life – even drinking raw eggs to imitate Rocky Balboa. After winning five Golden Gloves titles, Lopez moved into the professional ranks.

Ricardo Lopez Enters Professional Boxing

1991 was the year “El Finito” won his first world title when he defeated Hideyuki Ohashi for the WBC mini flyweight title via a fifth-round technical knockout. 

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Lopez worked hard throughout his career, making 22 title defences against some of the best opposition in his weight class. The only man to stop him from winning was Rosendo Alvarez, who forced a competitive but fair draw on March 7, 1998. “El Finito” corrected this one blip in style with an outstanding performance in the rematch to Retain the WBC mini flyweight title and win the vacant WBA mini flyweight title. Towards the end of his career, he moved into the 108lbs flyweight division, which saw him defeat Will Grigsby to win the IBF junior flyweight title, which he defended twice before retiring with a record many greats could only dream of.

Check out our list of 5 Underrated Flyweights to Watch Out for in 2023.