Mexican Boxer Luis López Aims for Featherweight Division Unification

Mexican Boxer Luis López Aims for Featherweight Division Unification

López’s Successful Defense and Aspiration for More

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight title was successfully defended by Mexican boxer Luis ‘Venado’ López (29-2, 16 KOs) against Joet González at the American Bank Center. After emerging victorious, López is already looking ahead to his next challenge.

López has his sights set on a bigger achievement – unifying the featherweight division. The current holder of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight belt is Cuban boxer Robeisy Ramírez (13-1, 8 KOs), who is a potential rival in López’s quest for unification.

A Formal Request for Permission

In order to facilitate this aim, López has formally requested special permission from the IBF. The permission sought is to negotiate an IBF and WBO featherweight world title unification fight against Ramírez. This would mean bypassing the defense against mandatory challenger Reiya Abe.

In a letter obtained by BoxingScene.com, López expressed his interest in fighting Ramírez and unifying the division with the WBO belts. The letter, signed by López’s manager Héctor Fernández, stated, “After successfully defending the title against Joet González last Saturday, we know we have to fulfill our obligations and fight the mandatory challenger. We would like to ask for special permission as we are very interested in unifying the belts with the current WBO world champion, Robeisy Ramírez, if you give us permission we would start negotiating”.

Challenges and Hurdles Ahead

However, the potential unification fight faces a stumbling block in the form of Ramírez’s next match. After defeating Satoshi Shimizu in July of this year, ‘El Tren de Cuba’ also expressed interest in facing López, provided both of them hold the belts of their respective governing bodies. However, Ramírez is scheduled to defend his title next on November 4 against Mexican Rafael Espinoza at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Nevada.

Due to this upcoming match, the potential unification fight for the WBO and IBF featherweight titles may only be feasible at the beginning of next year. Nonetheless, the aspiration of Luis López to unify the featherweight division adds an exciting twist to the boxing world, promising thrilling matches in the near future.