Less than three months after dominating the previously undefeated Gabriel Flores Jr., Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez hopes to earn a world title shot. Lopez will face undefeated British contender Isaac “The Westgate Warrior” Lowe in a 12-round IBF featherweight title eliminator this Friday, Dec. 3 at York Hall in London.
Lopez-Lowe and supporting bouts will stream live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
Lopez (23-2, 11 KOs), the IBF No. 5 contender from Mexicali, Mexico, is riding a six-bout winning streak since a 2019 loss to Ruben Villa. He edged Andy Vences by split decision in a 2020 Fight of the Year contender, then started his 2021 campaign in Mexico with a first-round knockout. He entered the Flores fight — Sept. 10 in Tucson, Arizona — as a sizable underdog. In a relentless show of pressure fighting, Flores somehow survived the 10-round onslaught, and Lopez earned the one-sided decision.
Lowe (21-0-3, 6 KOs), the IBF No. 8 contender, is a close friend and a training partner of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. A former English and Commonwealth featherweight champion, Lowe has won seven consecutive bouts, including a one-sided decision over Alberto Guevara in February 2020 on the Fury-Deontay Wilder II undercard. He returned in March, notching a six-round decision over Ed Harrison.
In other streaming action from London:
- Undefeated former WBC flyweight world champion Charlie Edwards (16-1, 6 KOs) will make his second bantamweight appearance in an eight-rounder against Spanish veteran Jacob Barreto (13-3, 5 KOs).
- Junior middleweight prospect Jordan Reynolds (3-0, 1 KO) will face the durable Blaise Paka Mukia (2-3-1) in a six-rounder. Mukia has never been stopped as a professional.
- Welterweight upstart Elliot Whale (4-0, 1 KO) will fight Miroslav Serban (13-7, 7 KOs) in a six-rounder, while junior welterweight puncher Shiloh Defreitas (1-0, 1 KO) returns in a four-rounder against 17-fight veteran Dario Borosa.
- Two-time British national amateur champion Arnold Obodai will make his professional debut in a four-round cruiserweight battle against an opponent to be named.
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