Lopez vs Lin. “El Finito” Notches One other Title Win.

The nickname of all-time nice Mexican pugilist Ricardo Lopez is “El Finito,” which interprets to “The Nice One.” Typically a nickname doesn’t aptly replicate the actual demeanor or comportment of a boxer, however within the case of Lopez, it does so to perfection.

The boxer-puncher model of Ricardo Lopez exuded finesse. Educated by dwelling legend Nacho Beristáin, he grew to become a textbook Beristáin fighter together with his important offensive weapons being clear, skillful, mixture punching, whereas for protection he relied on footwork and physique motion. Like Juan Manuel Márquez, additionally skilled by Nacho, Lopez mastered the fluid transition between the 2 postures, typically ducking, weaving, and slipping to keep away from punches earlier than instantly exploiting his opponent’s errors. His spectacular 73 % KO ratio was due not a lot to uncooked energy as to his correct and efficient body-punching and his wonderful ending instincts.

López grew to become a world champion in 1990 by knocking out WBC champion Hideyuki Ohashi of Japan. He dropped Ohashi early within the fourth with an ideal one-two after which patiently waited for the best second to complete the job. He would hold touchdown robust lead proper arms and left hooks, making Ohashi unwilling to commerce, earlier than flooring Ohashi within the fifth. The champion beat the depend solely to soak up a devastating proper hand-left hook mixture that ended the struggle. López was 24 on the time; he would hold his title belt for an unimaginable 9 years.

The champion’s fifth title protection came about at Korakuen Corridor in Tokyo, the identical place the place Ricardo had grow to be champion two years earlier. His challenger was one Mincha Lin, also referred to as Rocky Lin. Initially from Taiwan, Lin was a Japanese citizen sporting a 14-0 document and a world rating, however not a lot else. Certainly, Lopez vs Lin provided little when it comes to intrigue past it being one other likelihood to see dwell and within the flesh the superlative abilities of “El Finito.” The primary spherical noticed López land the extra vital punches, with out absolutely displaying his skill to throw combos. As an alternative, he performed the sharpshooter, throwing single photographs with pinpoint accuracy, as he warmed to his process.

In spherical two, López discovered a house for a number of of his left hooks. He threw them from seemingly too distant, however they nonetheless managed to land. Those he threw parallel to the bottom, nearly in a sweeping movement, landed on Lin’s chest, violently jolting him backwards. Those Lopez threw at an upwards 45 diploma angle landed on Lin’s ribs. However the one which floored Lin for good landed completely on his chin. The referee didn’t even must depend; everybody knew it was over by the way in which Lin fell after which lay immobile on the canvas.

‘Finito’ López would proceed to rule the division for seven extra years, within the course of turning again all viable challengers. He grew to become a two division champion in 1999 when he moved as much as the sunshine flyweight division and received the IBF title, and he would retire undefeated, solely the fifth world champion in historical past to take action, whereas in a position to boast of getting by no means dodged a problem. Like Joe Louis, he fought 26 title fights in a row with out tasting defeat. The lone blemish on his document, a technical draw with Nicaraguan Rosendo Alvarez in 1998, was promptly addressed within the rematch six months later with López incomes a cut up determination win.

As an extra nod to his enduring affect within the sport, and regardless of (or maybe due to) his many victories over Asian fighters, Ricardo Lopez is the inspiration of fictional boxer Ricardo Martínez, which options within the Japanese manga sequence “Hajime No Ippo.” With out query, he is without doubt one of the biggest of all Mexican boxers, to not point out one of the vital gifted pugilists of the final a number of many years.       —Rafael Garcia