Haven Brady Jr. remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Jesus Vazquez Jr. in a junior lightweight bout at the OTE Arena in Atlanta.

Brady landed 184 of 522 punches. Vazquez was 40 of 346.

Brady, 130 lbs of Albany, GA won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 13-0. Vazquez, 133 lbs of Los Angeles is 11-3.

Saul Sanchez won an eight-round unanimous decision over Arthur Villanueva in a bantamweight fight.

Sanchez, 119 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 78-74 twice and 77-75 and is now 21-3. Villanueva, 119 lbs of Bagp City, PHL is 35-6-1.

Oshae Jones stopped Simone Da Silva in round five of a scheduled eight-round junior middleweight bout.

In round five, Jones dropped Da Silva with perfect right to the body. Jones continued to hurt Da Silva until a big flurry in the corner forced a stoppage at 1:54.

Jones, 153.2 lbs of Philadelphia via Toledo, OH is -0 with three knockouts. Da Silva, 150 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 17-34.

Kurt Scoby made shirt work of Daniel Lim by registering an opening round stoppage in a scheduled six-round junior welterweight bout.

In the first minute, Scoby dropped Lim by landing a jab that was followed by a hard right. Lim was dropped for aa second time with a left hook. It was another nasty left hook to the body that put Lim down for a third and final time as he did not neat the count at 2:03.

Scoby, 138.5 lbs of Duarte, CA is 14-1 with 12 knockouts. Lim, 136.4 lbs of Don Carolina, CA is 11-2.

David Lopez remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Pedro Pinillo in a junior welterweight fight.

Lopez landed 63 of 229 punches. Pinillo was 29 of 176.

Lopez of Oakland won by scores of 60-54 on all cards is now 6-0. Pinillio of Cali, COL is 5-8/

Johnny Mansour stopped Edgar Uvalle in the opening round of their four-round lightweight bout.

In round one, Mansour landed about 20 unanswered punches that resulted in a standing-eight count. The fight did not last long after as Mansour dropped Uvalle againt after big flurry and a right dropped him in the corner and the bout was stopped at 2:25.

Mansour, 134.6 lbs of San Diego is 2-0 with one knockout. Uvalle, 133.2 lbs of Des Moines, IA is 2-5-2.

Francisco Veron won a 10-round unanimous decision over Angel Ruiz in the opening bout of the OTX Super welterweight tournament.

Veron, 154 lbs of Argentina won by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 96-94 and is now 14-0-1. Ruiz is 18-3-1.

David Lopez took out Anthony Mora in the opening round of their six-round super lightweight bout.

Lopez landed a perfect left to the face that sent Mora down over the bottom rope. Mora almost beat the 10-count bit couldn’t and the fight was stopped at 2:38.

Lopez, 142 lbs of Oakland is 5-0 with four knockouts. Mora, 141 1/2 lbs of New Brittan, CT is 3-2-1.

Nathan Lugo showed concussive power in taking out Richard Lartigue inside of a round in their four-round super-middleweight bout.

Lugo dropped Lartigue with a hard left hook. Lugo would not rest on his laurels as he dumped Lartigue with a hard right hand and the fight was stopped at 1:33.

Lugo, 168,4 lbs of Atlanta is 1-0 with one knockout. Lartigue, 166.8 lbs of San Diego is 1-2.

New York, NY (May 8, 2023) – DiBella Entertainment has signed 19-year-old junior welterweight prodigy “Dynamite” David Lopez (3-0, 2 KOs) to an exclusive promotional contract.

Coming from a family of fighters, Lopez, a southpaw who is of Black and Filipino heritage, is trained by his father and former pro boxer, Kris Lopez. In addition to his father, David’s older brother, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were all boxers. When David was just five years old, his father opened Lightning’s Boxing Club in 2009, in their hometown of Oakland, CA. Surrounded by the sport throughout his childhood, Lopez had his first amateur bout at age nine in 2013. Amassing an overall amateur record of 34-4, he won the Desert Showdown World Amateur Boxing Championships, Puerto Rican National Championships, and a bronze medal at the Junior Olympics, in 2015. Earning key victories against notable fighters such as Justin Viloria, Floyd Diaz, and Akeem Cheatem, all multi-National champions, Lopez was rated #1 at bantamweight by USA Boxing in 2015 and 2016.

While preparing for a fight in 2016, Andre Ward, then a light heavyweight contender, visited the Lopez gym and was challenged by a brash 12-year-old David to a sparring session. Reflecting on the experience, Ward complimented the young amateur telling reporter Brin-Jonathan Butler, “He [David Lopez] is the best fighter in the world under 13.”

During his teenage years, the athletic Lopez also excelled at other sports, such as basketball and varsity football.

Lopez turned pro at age 17 while still a student at Alameda High School in California. Following two first-round knockout wins, Lopez made his DiBella Entertainment debut on April 27, facing Nelson Morales at Sony Hall in Times Square, New York City. Seven years after their initial encounter, Andre Ward, by then a Lopez family friend, once again sparred with David to help him get ready for this fight. Opening up the Broadway Boxing event, which was live streamed globally on DAZN, Lopez earned a four-round unanimous decision victory.

“This is a great signing for DBE. I was impressed with what I saw from David at Sony Hall and I believe he has tremendous potential. The father-son dynamic is a longstanding tradition in boxing and I can see that Kris has taught David very well. A working model, David is a good-looking, polished prospect in and out of the ring. I look forward to guiding David’s career and helping him fulfill his promise,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment.

“Lou DiBella is a Hall-of-Fame promoter and I know I’m in good hands,” said Lopez. “I took care of business last month and can’t wait to get back in the ring to do it again. I have been training my whole life in this sport and the goal has always been to become a world champion. Having my father in my corner from day one has been a blessing. With DiBella Entertainment, our team is now complete and I know my future is bright.”

“I have observed Lou DiBella for years and said to myself, ‘That’s the guy I want to sign my son to,’ and it happened,” said David’s father and trainer, Kris Lopez. “Let the good times roll.”

“I have known Lou DiBella for many years. He’s a legendary promoter and I have all the confidence in him and DiBella Entertainment to get David Lopez the opportunities to become a future world champion,” said Lopez’s advisor Alonzo Benezra.

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Facebook: @DiBellaEntertainment

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

As reported in this space yesterday, Mayweather Promotions’ 17-year-old junior welterweight prospect David Lopez was set to make his second appearance as a professional in a four-round bout against tough guy Corey Champion (2-3, 2 KOs) of Gordonsville, Virginia at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas next Saturday night. This bout will no longer take place on the undercard to the Showtime-televised tripleheader headlined by the WBA super featherweight title eliminator between Chris Colbert and Hector Luis Garcia. 

“Basically my original opponent pulled out,” Lopez updated 15rounds.com late on Tuesday night. “And they tried reaching out to many other opponents, but it was too short notice.” 

Finding opponents for Lopez (1-0, 1 KO) of Oakland, California is a tall task for any matchmaker with ample notice, much less a couple weeks’ notice. The internet is littered with his sparring sessions and freakish athletic gifts. 

“It was disappointing after hearing the news,” said Lopez, who admitted he was a bit angry when he first heard the news. “As a fighter, we put our bodies through a lot in preparation for our fights. All I can do is stay ready and keep my mind at peace. Stuff happens man.” 

No word yet on when Lopez will return to the ring after this late cancellation. Lopez reports that he is staying ready for whenever he gets the call. 

Photo by Michael Ham/TGB Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

By Mario Ortega Jr.-

In the modern era of professional boxing it sometimes feels like some of the world’s best fighters are somehow pieced together in a lab, rather than naturally born and developed athletes. Some of these fighters that are so athletically gifted and excellently trained at a young age can make one wonder how anyone can compete if they did not have that same background. One young fighter that has those in the know comparing him to the top young fighters of recent times is 17-year-old child prodigy junior welterweight “Dynamite” David Lopez. The Alameda High School student takes a break from class next week to go for pro win number two on the undercard of the Showtime-televised event at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas on February 26th. 

Lopez (1-0, 1 KO) of Oakland, California comes from a fighting family and was first incorporated into the world of boxing at the age of 5 by his father Kris Lopez, a former promising fighter himself and proprietor of Lightning’s Boxing Club in Oakland. His older brother Daniel is also a fighter, currently making a comeback. The boxing bloodlines run deep as there is family in the boxing game in Hawaii and Kris’ great grandfather Elmario Santos was a fighter of some description himself.

“My grandmother used to always tell me stories about him jumping rope and chasing roosters,” recalls Kris Lopez. “That was what he did. It is very interesting that boxing is in our family. Boxing is definitely in our family, from my grandmother’s side to my uncle’s. They would arrange bootleg backyard fights, but when it got to me…I took it to another level. I sought out to become a legitimate fighter. I struggled with it a bit and got married early, and I kind of blew my career. Here I am years later, trying to right my wrongs with my kids.”

“Lightning” Kris Lopez, as he was known during his fighting days, appears to be on his way to accomplishing his fight career goals with how he has developed David. “He’s a special kid,” says his father unapologetically. “We knew when he was little, he was a little bit different and a special, rare kid. The things he could do as a small child, even as a two-year-old baby he was freakishly strong. As a six-year-old we challenged him to do push-ups and he did like 130 push-ups. Every time he got the ball on the football field it was a touchdown. He had great open-field vision, dexterity, athleticism, coordination, toughness, everything you can imagine for an athlete he has, including being humble and having a tremendous work ethic.”

The young Lopez developed a strong fan base as an amateur with his natural abilities, speed and learned skills. Videos of interviews from David’s early amateur run are all over YouTube and are something to watch. His speaking abilities and comfort level with media at around age 11 is something rarely seen in sports.  

“I used to hear my dad talk a lot and I pretty much just repeated after him,” says David. “Whatever my dad would say, I just learned from him. My dad is a businessman, he is a gym owner. I used to hear him with the clients and the people that would come into the gym and I just took a page out of his book.”

At just 17, Lopez finds himself signed to Mayweather Promotions, one of the most prominent promotional companies in the United States. Lopez was likely on the promotional firm’s radar for years, as sparring sessions and fights between Lopez and another prodigy and Mayweather understudy “Cash Flow” Floyd Diaz are something of internet legend. Once the pros became an option, Lopez’ team got a tryout in hopes of signing with “Money May’s” company. 

“Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, lined it up for me to spar with one of their signed fighters, Kevin Johnson,” recalls David. “It was good work and Leonard liked what he saw and we went from there.” 

Despite having a burgeoning fight career, David Lopez is still in high school attending class at Alameda High amongst the general population. “It’s cool,” says Lopez of the high schooler/boxer experience. “I get a lot of recognition from my friends and the teachers. They will say things like, ‘There goes the boxer’ or ‘There goes David “Dynamite.”‘ Other than that, it’s pretty normal. I’m still a normal citizen to myself. I’m just a professional boxer. It’s just a plus for me.”

Lopez turned pro in October of last year, and balancing his career and school was a little simpler during the pandemic. “The virtual learning and the zooms were much easier,” admits Lopez. “I got to wake up when I wanted to. As far as my schedule, I could go to the gym whenever and be in class at the same time. It was definitely easier.”

With in-person learning back in full-swing, Lopez has a different balancing act to perform, but he seems to be handling it well. “It’s pretty easy to manage,” says David. “I just go to school and get my work done. Whenever I have camps out in Vegas, I run it by my teachers and they give me extra work to do while I’m gone. That’s pretty easy to do.”

One of the main guys in camp with David is veteran pro and fellow southpaw Aaron Coley. David first began sparring Coley, a powerfully-built full grown man, in the early part of 2020 when he was probably just beginning to shave. “He would put him in at the tail end of the sparring,” recalls Coley (16-3-1, 7 KOs). “I had a few fights I was getting ready for and David would come in at the end.”

Lopez has been studying Coley’s game and learning what he can from the veteran, who is also trained by Kris Lopez. “He’s a very sharp fighter and he keeps my eye sharp,” David says of Coley. “The level of experience that he is on is very good. It’s a level of experience a lot of fighters don’t have, so every camp we try to get Aaron. He throws nice, in-tight punches and he’s able to get his head off the line and step around you. So definitely his in-tight work and I would say his punch selection and his work ethic [are what I emulate.]”

Coley, who turned pro in 2012, is equally complementary of Lopez. “He is sharp,” says Coley. “He is one of the better younger guys I have seen around. He’s fast and he has a lot of natural abilities. Then he comes in there and gets after it. The sky’s the limit for him. Some people are just made for certain stuff or bred into it. Like he is one of them guys. He can play everything too. He played other sports, football and is pretty good at hoop.”

Lopez’ hoop game got his name out there last year when he extended a public challenge for a one-on-one basketball game to his promoter, one Floyd Mayweather, on an episode of the Abrams Boxing Show podcast, hosted by our own Marc Abrams. It is a challenge that so far has not been accepted. 

“Not yet,” Lopez answers to the question of whether he has heard back from Mayweather. “It is going to come though. We are staying ready for it. We have been doing a lot of explosive training to dunk on him when that time comes, so I hope that Floyd is ready. He does a lot of cross training during his off-time and he always stays sharp and he’s always in the gym, so I’m sure he can hoop still.”

On February 26th, Lopez will return to the ring on the undercard of Chris Colbert-Hector Luis Garcia at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, taking on tough guy Corey Champion, a fighter with an MMA background and two distance losses to mega prospects Xander Zayas and Vito Mielnicki Jr. on his boxing resume. 

When it is presented to us, and they bring up Xander Zayas and Vito Mielnicki, and they both couldn’t knock him out,” Kris Lopez says of Champion (2-3, 2 KOs). “Those guys are both junior middleweights and couldn’t knock him out. This is a grown man, he’s coming down [in weight,] has never been knocked out and his two wins are knockouts. Why would you think my smaller 140-pound kid will knock him out? I know the answer to it: he probably can and he probably will. David has been knocking out 175-pound guys, knocking them out cold. But this guy, we are not going to underestimate him.”

Lopez has some sparring experience that will probably come in handy when fighting a rough MMA fighter with an awkward style. Another San Francisco Bay Area veteran often shares the ring with Lopez who is known for his rough and tough style, former welterweight contender Karim Mayfield. 

“He knows I am going to give him some rough, unorthodox work,” says Mayfield. “But when I was sparring him more and more, I saw him adjusting to some of the stuff I was doing. And I have been sparring for quite a few years and some people weren’t able to adjust to it. So that was a good look for me to see him adjusting to the unorthodox stuff, because that is stuff a lot of world champions couldn’t adjust to. He is going to excel and do well. Speed and power, the whole nine.”

The Lopez family continues a long boxing tradition of the father-son, trainer-fighter duo. “It’s great having my dad with me,” says David. “I know that I am safe and that my dad has my best interests. I think it is really cool that I get to follow my dreams with my dad. He’s a part of it and he’s taking me to where I need to go through his knowledge from what he has experienced in his past. It is definitely dope that my father gets to be part of this and is my trainer of course.”

The long road ahead gets one fight shorter next Saturday for the Lopez family and David Lopez the fighter. Although the journey is just beginning for the fighting wunderkind of Alameda High, all the ingredients appear to be there for a successful run and young David Lopez is ready to do the work required, beginning with Corey Champion in Las Vegas. 

“We are training hard and I am feeling as sharp as ever,” says David. “I can’t wait for February 26th to come.” 

Photos by Michael Ham/TGB Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @MarioG280