Luis Alberto Lopez vs Joet Gonzalez Preview September 15th, 2023
IBF Featherweight Champion Luis Alberto Lopez of Mexico defends his title for the second time as he travels to Corpus Christi, Texas to take on Joet Gonzalez of Glendora, California this Friday, September 15th. The 12-rounder can be seen live in America on the ESPN platform while fans in the UK can catch it on Sky Sports Arena and those in Canada can see it on TSN 2. Lopez was successful the last time out as he stopped Michael Conlan in the fifth round in Belfast, Northern Ireland in May. He beat Josh Warrington by majority decision in Leeds, England last December to win the title. Gonzalez last fought in April when he beat Enrique Vivas by a 10-round unanimous decision.
Lopez vs Gonzalez Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Joet Gonzalez +500
- Luis Alberto Lopez -800
My Pick
Lopez is 30 years old and carries around a record of 28-2 with 16 Ko’s. He’s boxed 163 rounds since turning pro in 2015 and stands 5-feet-4-inches tall with a wingspan of 66.5 inches. As far as power goes, Lopez isn’t considered a knockout artist but possesses a decent knockout ratio of 57.1 per cent and has stopped four of his last five opponents with Josh Warrington going the distance with him. Lopez also has fine boxing skills and a solid chin.
The first pro defeat he suffered came at the hands of Abraham Montoya by way of a 10-round split decision in 2018 to lose his Mexico Pacific Coast Super Featherweight Title. He then dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Ruben Villa in 2019 for the vacant WBO International Featherweight Crown. Since then he’s won 11 consecutive bouts including victories over Warrington, Isaac Lowe, Gabriel Flores Jr, Andy Vences and Conlan.
The 29-year-old Gonzalez owns a record of 26-3 with 15 Ko’s and now fights out of Los Angeles. He stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a 70-inch reach and has boxed 170 rounds since making his pro debut back in 2012. This gives him a two-inch height advantage on Lopez as well as 3.5-inches in reach. He possesses similar power to Lopez however with a current knockout ratio of 57.7 per cent but has gone the distance in five of his last six fights. Since turning pro he’s captured the WBO NABO, and WBO International Featherweight Belts and as an amateur he won silver at 2011 National championships and gold the following year.
Gonzalez’s biggest wins have been against Jeo Santisima, Miguel Marriaga, Rafael Rivera, Rodrigo Guerrero, Derrick Murray and Jose Miguel Tamayo. His first defeat came at the hands of Shakur Stevenson via unanimous decision in a shot at the vacant WBO Featherweight Title in October, 2019. His second defeat was also in a WBO World Featherweight Title shot when he dropped a unanimous decision to Emanuel Navarrete in October, 2021. His latest loss came by way of a 10-round split decision to former world champion Isaac Dogboe in July, 2022 to lose his WBO International Title.
Gonzalez possesses a fine jab and combines it with good footwork while keeping his guard high for defence. He had a fine amateur career which saw him beat and lose to Gervonta Davis and also compete in the World Series of Boxing. He performed well against Stevenson, Navarrete and Dogboe, but fell short of pulling off an upset in each fight. However, he did gain some valuable experience against world-class opposition.
Prediction……
Lopez has displayed more power than Gonzalez recently but both men have never been stopped as pros. It’s debatable who owns the better boxing skills but Gonzalez has the size advantage, meaning Lopez will need to work his way inside without eating leather. This should be a close, hard-fought battle with a few momentum swings but I think Lopez is a bit more aggressive and will do enough to hold onto his crown.
Lopez needs to be the aggressor and let his hands go.
Play: Lopez -800 @ BetOnline.ag
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Joet Gonzalez betting • Luis Alberto Lopez betting