Héctor López (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Héctor López Colín (February 1, 1967 – October 25, 2011) was a Mexican
boxer
who was the NABF and WBO NABO
Light Welterweight
Champion. He also won an Olympic Silver medal for Mexico
in the Bantamweight division.
, was a Mexican National Amateur Champion. During the 1984 Summer Olympics
he won the Bantamweight Silver Medal, at seventeen years old Héctor was the youngest boxer
in the whole Olympics.
but later moved up to Lightweight
and defeated former champion Juan LaPorte
. That fight would set a bout with the undefeated Mexican Miguel Ángel González
for the WBC
Lightweight
Championship in 1993. López lost a twelve round unanimous decision and decided on moving up to Light Welterweight
, losing to a young Kostya Tszyu in 1994. He later challenged Sammy Fuentes and Randall Bailey
for the WBO World
Light Welterweight
Title but lost both bouts. López retired after beating veteran Jerry Rosenberg by T.K.O. in the third round.
, United States, and even played American football
at Glendale Hoover High School
. He grew up and trained with Mexican American
Olympic gold medalist Paul Gonzales
.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who was the NABF and WBO NABO
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
Light Welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
Champion. He also won an Olympic Silver medal for Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in the Bantamweight division.
Amateur career
López, who was born in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, was a Mexican National Amateur Champion. During the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
he won the Bantamweight Silver Medal, at seventeen years old Héctor was the youngest boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
in the whole Olympics.
Olympic results
- Defeated Johny AsadomaJohny AsadomaJohny Asadoma is a former Indonesian amateur boxer. After his retirement from boxing, Asadoma joined the Indonesia's academy of police, and became a police officer of Indonesia.-Career as a boxer:...
(Indonesia) KO 3 - Defeated Joe Orewa (Nigeria) points
- Defeated Ndaba Dube (Zimbabwe) points
- Defeated Dale WaltersDale WaltersDale Walters was a Canadian boxer who won a bantamweight bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.- Professional career :...
(Canada) points - Lost to Maurizio SteccaMaurizio SteccaMaurizio Stecca is an Italian former boxer, who won the Bantamweight Gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.His brother Loris Stecca was also a professional boxer.-Professional career:...
(Italy) points
Pro career
Héctor began his professional career in 1985 as a BantamweightBantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
but later moved up to Lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
and defeated former champion Juan LaPorte
Juan Laporte
Juan Laporte is a former boxer who was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico.-Amateur career:Juan Laporte won the 1976 112 lb New York Golden Gloves Sub-Novice Championship. He defeated Long Island's Ricky Brown in the finals. Laporte was defeated by Joseph Nieto of the Police Athletic Leagues Lynch...
. That fight would set a bout with the undefeated Mexican Miguel Ángel González
Miguel Ángel González
Miguel Ángel González Suárez , known as Miguel Ángel, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.-Football career:...
for the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
Lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
Championship in 1993. López lost a twelve round unanimous decision and decided on moving up to Light Welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
, losing to a young Kostya Tszyu in 1994. He later challenged Sammy Fuentes and Randall Bailey
Randall Bailey
Randall Bailey is an American boxer at welterweight. Nicknamed "The Knockout King", Bailey is widely considered to be one of the hardest punchers in boxing today.- Professional career :...
for the WBO World
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
Light Welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
Title but lost both bouts. López retired after beating veteran Jerry Rosenberg by T.K.O. in the third round.
Personal life
Héctor López was born in Mexico City but was raised in Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, United States, and even played American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
at Glendale Hoover High School
Herbert Hoover High School (Glendale)
Herbert Hoover High School is a public high school in Glendale, California. The school's colors are purple and white.Hoover High School, named after Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, is located on in Glendale...
. He grew up and trained with Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
Olympic gold medalist Paul Gonzales
Paul Gonzales
Paul Garza Gonzales was a Mexican American boxer, who won the light flyweight gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Amateur career:...
.