By Dan Ambrose: IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez (28-2, 16 KOs) will defend against Joet Gonzalez (26-3, 15 KOs) in his next fight on September 15th live on ESPN in Corpus Christi, Texas,
Luis Lopez recently destroyed the popular Irish fighter Michael Conlan by a fifth round knockout in his first title defense of his IBF belt last May in Belfast.
In Lopez’s previous fight, he dethroned the nonstop-fouling IBF champion Josh Warrington last December in Leeds, England, winning a 12 round majority decision in a fight that arguably should have been 10-2 or 11-1 in Luis’ favor.
It’s a questionable pick by Luis Lopez to give Joet Gonzalez a title shot because he’s lost 3 out of his last 6 fights, including a recent defeat against past his best Isaac Dogboe.
With a 3-3 record in his last six fights, Joet clearly is undeserving of a title shot against Lopez unless the criteria are to reward for failure instead of success. That’s called losing your way to the top.
What Joet has working for him is he recently signed with Top Rank, and he has a recognizable name, having fought Shakur Stevenson, Emanuel Navarrete, and Isaac Dogboe in fights that received attention. Joet lost all those fights, but they received attention from fans.
Joet is ranked #1 WBO, #4 WBC, #8 WBA, and #11 IBF. It’s unbelievable that he’s ranked #1 with the World Boxing Organization because, with a 3-3 record since 2019, he should arguably be ranked #15 or not at all in the top tier. How do you rank someone that has lost half of their fights in the last four years?
Joet Gonzalez’s last six fights
Enrique Vivas – UD 10 win
Isaacc Dogboe – SD 10 loss
Jeo Santisima – TKO 9 win
Emanuel Navarrete – UD 12 loss
Miguel Marriaga – UD 10 win
Shakur Stevenson – UD 12 loss
Joet recently beat the brawler Enrique Vivas (22-3, 11 KOs) by a ten round unanimous decision in an entertaining fight last April in Tulsa.
Vivas hit Joet with everything in the kitchen sink in that fight but couldn’t keep him off due to his lack of power. If Vivas could punch, he would have soundly beaten Joet like Shakur Stevenson did because he literally couldn’t miss with his shots.
Joet is a slow, plodding come-forward type of fighter who takes four or five punches to land one of his.
Joet can win and make it entertaining when matched right, but as we saw in his lopsided loss to Shakur when put in with talented guys, he’s hopelessly outclassed. Joets basic fun-to-watch brawler but is absolutely no threat to beating champion Luis Alberto Lopez.
“Luis Alberto Lopez will defend his IBF featherweight title vs. Joet Gonzalez on Sept. 15 in Corpus Christi, Texas,” said Mike Coppinger to ESPN.
Lopez vs. Gonzalez Fight: All You Need to Know
When is the fight?
- Date: Friday, September 15
- Main card starts: 10 p.m. ET/ 3 a.m. BST
- Main event ringwalk (approximate): 12:00 a.m. ET / 5:00 a.m. BST
Note: Exact timings may change based on the duration of the undercard matches.
Where can you watch it?
- U.S.: Stream live on ESPN+
- UK: Available on Sky Sports
Where is it happening?
The bout will be hosted at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas
Luis Alberto Lopez – Joet Gonzalez undercard
- Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Joet Gonzalez, 12 rounds, for Lopez’s IBF featherweight title
- Xander Zayas vs. Roberto Valenzuela Jr., 10 rounds, junior middleweights
- Emiliano Vargas vs. Alejandro Guardado, 6 rounds, lightweights
- Omar Aguilar vs. Julio Luna, 8 rounds, welterweights
- Jamaine Ortiz vs. Antonio Moran, 10 rounds, lightweights
- Robson Conceicao vs. Humberto Gallindo, 8 rounds, junior lightweights
- Ruben Villa vs. Brandon Valdes, 8 rounds, featherweights
- Tiger Johnson vs. Ricardo Quiroz, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
- John Rincon vs. Bryan Rodriguez Rivera, 6 rounds, welterweights
- Cayden Griffiths vs. TBA, 6 rounds, junior welterweights