‘The Destroyer’ climbs WBC ladder November fight may be biggest yet in career

Sonoran boxing star David “The Destroyer” Lopez recently came back from a fishing trip with his 5-year-old namesake son.

Although he caught a few fish on the excursion, what he really wants is to reel in a major boxing organization’s title belt—and he’s well on his way to doing just that.

Currently the sixth-ranked middleweight (160 pounds) by the World Boxing Council behind newly-crowned champion Kelly Pavlik, former champ Jermain Taylor, Giovanni Lorenzo, Sergio Mora, John Duddy and Ronald “Winky” Wright, Lopez is glad to see his name in such good company.

But, the Nogales southpaw won’t be satisfied until he’s on the top of that list.

“I have no problem with fighting any of the top guys,” he said recently through a translator. “I’m interested in the champion. I’m a lefty, and I’ve never seen Pavlik fight a lefty, so I would like to have that fight (with him or any of the top guys).”

Unlike one of those top guys, Mora, who gained name-recognition from his appearance on former world champ Sugar Ray Leonard’s hit TV show “The Contender,” Lopez refused an offer to be on the show a few years ago because the 29-year-old didn’t think it was worth the time.

“It was six months and you lose a lot of time,” he said, “and who is going to guarantee you a million dollars? Plus, they pay you very little for the fights that you do have.”

Lopez will, however, be in the spotlight Nov. 16 when his undercard fight against an unnamed opponent in Chicago is televised on Telefutura.

He was originally slated to fight on the undercard of the Juan Manuel Marquez versus Rocky Juarez Showtime extravaganza Nov. 3 at Sahuarita’s Desert Diamond Casino, but considering his bout would not be shown on the tube, Lopez is grateful for the change of plans.

“It’s better for me because I will be televised in Chicago, but not here (in Arizona),” he said.

In Chicago, Lopez (32-12, 21 KOs) had hopes of facing either Kassim Ouma (25-3-1, 15 KOs) of Uganda or Mexico’s Saul Roman (27-4, 24 KOs), either of which would be the biggest step up the recognition ladder to date for the 12-year veteran—who still has about 10 pounds to lose to make the weigh-in.

“Whichever one I fight, I’ll be ready,” he said. “I have to win this one if I want to fight for the (WBC) championship.”

However, it has recently been reported that Ouma and Roman will face each other at Morongo Casino Resort and Spa in Cabazon, Calif. on Nov. 2—two weeks before Lopez’s date in Chicago.

Even though Lopez’s opponent’s identity remains a mystery, the 12-round bout will surely be a much-needed boost in national exposure for a fighter who has become one of the Southwest’s most popular attractions.

Winning his last eight straight fights and earning three lesser middleweight title belts (IBA Americas, NABF and WBC Latino) along the way hasn’t hurt, either.

Prior to that winning streak, however, Lopez lost the first defense of his IBA title to Fulgencio Zuniga on Jan. 6, 2005 in a shocking 12th round TKO, after being ahead on all three judges’ scorecards.

He won the IBA crown in a 12-round unanimous decision over Kirino Garcia Aug. 8, 2004.

“From (the Zuniga fight) I learned not be over-confident,” Lopez said. “I just need to keep going. I’m glad that it happened in that fight and not a more important fight.”

All that behind him now, “The Destroyer,” who is on the tail end of a contract he hopes to renegotiate with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, has also changed gyms from Nogales, Sonora’s Gimnasio Municipal Escuela De Box to the Raquet-Bol facility inside the city’s Unidad Deportiva.

He did so to attract new kids to his beloved sport of pugilism, and other sports in general.

“I’m training here to get more people to this place, especially kids and teenagers,” Lopez said. “That’s important to me.”

William Wilczewski is the assistant editor of the Nogales International.