The last man to defeat Ben Whittaker as an amateur hopes their paths will cross in the pros.
Cuba’s Arlen Lopez is now 6-0 (2 KOs) as a pro, and he’s been monitoring Whittaker’s progress closely.
The 32-year-old from Guantanamo defeated Whittaker on a split decision in the 2020 Tokyo Games, but unlike the Englishman, he remained amateur.
Whittaker, from the Midlands, is now 10-0-1 (7 KOs) and has recently had his first fight for promoters Matchroom, walking through outgunned German Benjamin Gavazi.
“He was one of those really talented amateur fighters who is now a talented professional,” Lopez said of his old rival.
“He's really well-placed as a professional. He's making great strides. We got the chance to face him in the Olympic final and we became friends outside of the ring. We chat and look out for each other's fights given I'm a professional now too.”
But that is as far as Lopez’s goodwill extends. The Cuban, who has also boxed in IBA events, believes he and Whittaker could meet again competitively in the future,
“I wish him all the best, every success in his professional career,” Lopez added. “And what I believe is that at some point we'll meet on a different type of stage. Not the Olympics this time. But I know we'll meet on a new stage and we'll show that quality we showed that day at the Olympics and we'll show that amateur boxing has just as much quality and maybe even more than professional boxing.”
Lopez explained: “As it's over three rounds you condense everything into a short space of time. Professional boxing is different. You have 10 or 12 rounds to have a long-term plan.”
