Unbeaten Alfonso “El Tigre” Lopez Ready to Make Move! By Ken Hissner, Doghouse Boxing (Feb 11, 2011) - Tweet
It’s been over 50 years since then little known Cut and Shoot, TX, was put on the map by Roy Harris challenging Floyd Patterson for the World Heavyweight championship. Now out of that town comes Alfonso “El Tigre” Lopez who has won 21 straight bouts without defeat. Two less than Harris when he challenged for the world title! Henry Harris, brother of Roy, is the head trainer for Lopez.
“He is a great student with great speed, reflexes and chin. He has a lot of guts and intelligence. You show him something and he’s working on it unlike most young boxers who forget about it 30 seconds later,” said Harris. They train out of the Huntsville Gym.
Lopez won the vacant WBC Continental Americas super middleweight title in his last fight in November stopping Romero “Saint” Johnson, 11-2-1, in the twelfth and final round. “I hurt my hand around the sixth round. I was running him at a pace he couldn’t handle,” said Lopez. Referee Laurence Cole stopped the fight with 15 seconds left. “I was hitting him and his head was snapping back and forth when the referee stepped in,” said Lopez.
Lopez is ranked No. 2 in the NABF Super Middleweight rankings and No. 6 in the USBA Light Heavyweight rankings. He made 168 for the first time in 8 fights and plans to stay there. “I boxed Johnson from a distance, banged in the inside and kept him off balance. He had good endurance up until the end,” said Lopez. He will be looking for a NABF title bout with Philadelphia’s Farah Ennis, 17-0 (11), who won the vacant title in November. (Looking for any title fight against any top fighter)
Lopez was a walk-on linebacker at Sam Houston University as a freshman. He took up boxing in his sophomore year ending his football career. He was a 2006 graduate in food service and nutrition. “My wife Gina has a Master’s Degree in Dietetics and we have a daughter Madelyn who is 7 and Alfonso Lopez IV whom we call Gavin is 18 months,” said Lopez.
Lopez only had around 30 fights as an amateur. He was the state champ of Texas in 2005-2006 and a runner-up in the USA tournament. In 2006 he defeated now unbeaten light heavyweight Will Rosinsky in the semi-finals of the US Amateur Tournament before losing to career soldier in Christopher Downs in the finals. He would turn professional in March of 2007 defeating Bonnie Joe McGee, 2-9-2, in Corpus Christi, TX, where Lopez was born. This writer told him I was glad Bonnie uses his middle name.
Lopez would score 6 straight stoppages after his debut including Raheem “Executioner” Gordon, 4-2, of Killen, TX. In his eighth fight he was matched with Rayford Johnson, 4-2, He shot his mouth off showing his muscles and said I was soft, said nobody had muscles like him. I punished him every round and preferred he didn’t go down.”said Lopez. He also said Johnson was nice “after” the fight. “It was the only fight I missed due to a business trip,” said Trey Harris.
Trey Harris is part of the management team and was 14-0 (6), from 1993 until 2001. “I did a lot of sparring with Chuck Walker (1976 Olympian) and Frank Tate (1984 Olympian and IBF Middleweight champion),” said Harris. “He has a style similar to Roy (Harris),” said Henry Harris. Bob Spagnola is a consultant for Lopez. Not only did he have a major role with the Houston Boxing Association in handling Tate but has the current heavyweight David “Nino” Rodriguez, 33-0 (31).
After the Johnson fight Lopez fought Theo Kruger, 8-6. “It was on a Top Rank show and Kruger was tough,” said Lopez. In his tenth fight he got down to 167. He hadn’t gotten below 173 prior to this. He stopped Gabriel Rivera, 7-3, in the third round. “I felt the best in the ring in that fight,” said Lopez.
After 2 more wins Lopez stopped Billy Thompson, 8-9, for the vacant USA Texas State super middleweight title. Six weeks later he took a short notice fight against Ronald Weaver, 29-17-2, brother of twin Troy and heavyweight champion Mike. “I went for the knockout in the fifth and the referee waved it off but the fight was allowed to continue. I was cut in the ninth and Henry fixed it up nice,” said Lopez. He would take the decision over 10 rounds. “I had hurt my elbow sparring in preparation for the fight and Weaver was very experienced and strong,” said Lopez.
There would be 4 knockouts after that win before meeting Gabriel Holguin, 25-7, from Laredo, TX, in April of 2010. They changed it from an 8 to a 6 and Holguin had only been stopped once. “He didn’t want to fight so it went the distance,” said Lopez.
In June Rubin Williams, of Detroit, MI, 29-9-1, was next. This once promising fighter who almost won the title from Jeff Lacy has been reduced to an opponent. Lopez shut him out on all 3 score cards over 10 rounds scoring his twentieth straight win. His win over Romero Johnson was next.
Lopez is a family man with a college degree who has the intelligence and perseverance to be looking to gain a world ranking this year. He is finishing up his fourth year in the professional ranks and has settled in at 168. He is part of a good team in a good environment and the future looks very bright for him.
This writer can tell you having seen Ennis in the gym and in several fights it would be a great NABF title bout if it were to happen. The USBA super middleweight title is vacant with Ennis No. 12. When their January ratings come out Lopez who is No. 6 in their light heavyweight ratings should be moved into about the same spot in the super middleweight ratings. No matter what the outcome it will be a time when “the good guy finishes first” for a change!
