Luis Alberto Lopez Reveals Expectation for March 2 Fight Against Reiya Abe

On Saturday, March 2, Luis Alberto Lopez (29-2, 16 KOs) will look to defend his IBF featherweight world title against Reiya Abe (25-3-1, 10 KOs) at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. The stacked card will be streamed live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+. After a recent training session in Santa Fe Springs, Lopez spoke about his upcoming fight via a Top Rank press release.

Luis Alberto Lopez Makes Promise Ahead of Reiya Abe Fight

Luis Alberto Lopez Ready for Abe Challenge

Lopez vs. Abe will be the co-feature alongside the WBA featherweight world championship showdown between KO specialist Otabek Kholmatov and unbeaten American fighter Ray Ford. The Mexican fighter is well known as a fearless travelling boxer, who captured the IBF title by defeating Josh Warrington in his hometown of Leeds. 

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He then travelled to Belfast to beat Michael Conlan by a fifth-round TKO. Following those two victories, he again showed his tenacity and class, earning a hard-earned win over Joet Gonzalez by unanimous decision. The challenger is returning to the ring for the first time since his points decision victory over former two-division world champion Kiko Martinez

Lopez Feeling Confident

Speaking about how the camp has gone, Lopez said: “I decided to do my camp here in Los Angeles so I can be a little closer to my family. 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.”

The Mexican also spoke about preparing for Abe: “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.”

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He continued: “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.”

Future Goals and Promises

“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.”

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“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, said Lopez.”