Since dropping the IBF belt to Angelo Leo in August 2024, Lopez has quietly put together two wins. The latest came on Dec. 13 in Mexicali, where he stopped Miguel Arevalo Mejia in three rounds. It wasn’t subtle. It was not elegant. It was violent and efficient, the kind of show designed less for highlights than for reassurance. Mostly his own.
Lopez said the firing hurt him. Almost nine months passed between battles. He trained hard because he felt he had to. Coming back to his hometown mattered. So does showing that he still belongs on serious cards, the kind that end up referring to belts rather than excuses.
His manager, Kiki Magaña, framed the setback in simpler terms. Mentality. After a rough loss, Lopez went back to work instead of sideways. The belief within the team is that 2026 could still look very different from 2024, provided the right doors open and Lopez keeps kicking them.
One of those doors never moved. Lopez was openly chasing a fight with fellow Mexican champion Rafael Espinoza, the WBO title holder at 126. Espinoza went elsewhere, defending his belt against Arnold Khegai and stopping him in eleven rounds. Lopez acknowledged the disappointment. He believed that fight would have produced something raw and familiar, the kind of national clash box still pretends to want.
That choice did not end Lopez’s ambition. He now throws wider. Every champion at 126. Every champion at 130. His stated goal is simple. Become a two-time world champion in 2026.
For now the plan is to rest for a few days, then go straight back to the gym. No speeches. No hubs. Just repetition.
The honest reading is this. Lopez looks like a fighter who knows the window has narrowed and is trying to beat it back before it closes for good.
Reporting context based on an interview originally conducted by The Ring.
