Luis Alberto Lopez’s win streak and title reign ended in the worst imaginable way.
ESPN’s Mark Kriegel reported that the dethroned IBF featherweight titlist suffered a small brain bleed after his Aug. 10 knockout defeat to Angelo Leo. Their competitive title fight saw Leo counter a jab with a perfectly timed left hook. Lopez was put flat on his back where he remained until referee Ernie Sharif waved off the contest.
Leo (25-1, 12 knockouts) entered Tingley Coliseum in his Albuquerque hometown as the overwhelming crowd favorite. He left as the newly crowned IBF titlist and The Ring’s No. 2-rated featherweight.
Lopez (30-3, 17 KOs) snapped a thirteen-fight win streak, though it pales in comparison to the far more grim aftermath. The diagnosis prompted the New Mexico Athletic Commission to place the Mexicali native on a 90-day suspension. It will likely be extended along with a red flag next to his Federal ID, given the severity of the injury.
Three pro boxers have passed away within this calendar year.
Japan’s Kazuki Anaguchi (6-1, 2 KOs) suffered a subdural hematoma on the right side of his brain in a Dec. 26 defeat to Seiya Tsutsumi in Tokyo. Their Fight of the Year contender came at the ultimate price. Anaguchi’s legs began to twitch as medical attention was paid to a gruesome cut over his left eye. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors performed an immediate craniotomy. The 23-year-old remained in a coma until his untimely death on Feb. 2.
Congo’s Ardi Ndembo died on April 26, three weeks after injuries sustained during an April 5 Team Combat League bout versus Cuba’s Nestor Santana. Just two weeks later, England’s Sharif Lawal was pronounced dead just one day after a knockout loss in his May 11 pro debut. The bout was the first fight of the night, its tragic ending which prompted the cancellation of the rest of the show.
The horrific fate of South Africa’s Simiso Buthelezi was sadly witnessed in real time. The 24-year-old was in control during his June 2022 ten-round lightweight bout versus Siphesihle Mntungwa. He drove his countryman into the ropes, which prompted a break in the action. Buthelezi then oddly followed the referee once action resumed and began punching at the air. The contest was brought to an immediate halt.
Buthelezi was brought to a local hospital, and was diagnosed with a brain bleed. He passed away just two days later on June 7, 2022.
Lopez won the IBF featherweight title in a Dec. 2022 points win over Josh Warrington on the road in Leeds, England. Three of his five title fights came in his opponent’s hometown. In addition to Warrington and Leo, Lopez met Michael Conlan in his backyard of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It mattered little in the end, as Lopez delivered a highlight reel fifth-round knockout in his first title defense.
Wins over Joet Gonzalez and Reiya Abe followed before his scary defeat to Leo—even more frightening, in retrospect.
The Ring joins the rest of the boxing community in wishing Lopez a timely recovery all the way back to good health.
