By Jake Donovan
It’s become an all-too familiar script for mid-level middleweight contender David “The Destroyer” Lopez in his past several fights.
A Telefutura appearance against whatever opponent Golden Boy Promotions can round up; win fight, and be led to believe that a title shot is right around the corner; weeks pass by as Lopez is once again passed over, but is assured by handlers that they’re next in line.
Rinse and repeat.
So here once again is David Lopez (36-12, 23KO), winner of 12 straight bouts (8 by knockout) since his last loss nearly four years ago, staring at another Telefutura fight while others have jumped the line in the title picture.
A formidable challenge awaits the Mexican southpaw, as he opposes hard-hitting Samuel Miller in the main event, which airs live from Lopez’ home away from home at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Arizona (Friday, 8PM ET).
A bitter pill to swallow for Lopez is that Marco Antonio Rubio, with whom he’s been trying to secure a fight for the better part of 2008, participates in a title eliminator the following week, on the televised undercard of the Kelly Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins PPV event. Even worse is that Lopez’ opponent is Enrique Ornelas, a Golden Boy fighter.
So much for a promoter having his fighter’s best interests.
But fending for himself is hardly a unique situation for Lopez. Horribly mismanaged in his early years as a pro, the man now known as The Destroyer was watching others destroy his own career. Having turned pro six months shy of his 18th birthday, Lopez repeatedly found himself in fights he had no business taking, staggering out to a 19-11 record before a few breaks would finally go his way.
Having been reduced to journeyman status, Lopez would soon develop a reputation as a major middleweight spoiler beginning in 2003, resulting in a promoter-fighter relationship with Sugar Ray Leonard’s SRL Promotions. Five straight wins came against respectable opposition, including back-to-back upset knockouts over a pair of previously unbeaten middleweights in Lonnie Bradley and Jerson Ravelo.
A shutout win over Kirino Garcia would be Lopez’ last fight with Leonard, who disbanded his company in moving on to The Contender. No big deal for Lopez, who would resurface with Golden Boy Promotions. Only the relationship didn’t get off to the greatest of starts; their first fight together resulted in a heartbreaking 12th round knockout loss to Fulgencio Zuniga.
Sitting at 24-12 (15KO), many wondered whether or not the Mexican slugger could recover, or if he was staring at a future as a high-profile opponent.
Twelve wins later, it’s clear that Lopez has plenty of fight left in him, and plans on sticking around until he receives the title shot that’s long eluded his career, or someone literally beats him out of contention.
The latter will prove to be difficult, since there are so few middleweights willing to share ring space. Not even the aforementioned Rubio, who pulled out of a title eliminator earlier this year in believing his promoter (Top Rank) would instead take him straight to Arum. That never happened, though Rubio is still a lot closer to a title shot than is Lopez.
That could very well change next week, as there is no guarantee that Rubio gets past Enrique Ornelas. Nor is it etched in stone that Lopez breezes past Samuel Miller tonight.
Packaged as a murderous puncher, Miller (18-2, 15KO) was spoon-fed made-to-order competition in the early stages of his career, spent exclusively in his native Colombia before relocating to the states in 2006.
Hooking up with Warriors Promotion, Miller became a crowd favorite at the boxing friendly Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, racking up four straight wins in a span of eight months.
Most notable was his ESPN2-televised points win over Jason Naugler in July 2006. The bout received greater exposure than normal; the evening’s main event between Sultan Ibragimov and Ray Austin made for the network’s highest rated boxing telecast in four years.
The thing about exposure, though, is that others are more inclined to see your next move. Miller’s was disastrous, as he squandered an early lead against middle-aged journeyman Darrell Woods on ESPN2, falling apart down the stretch in suffering the first loss of his career.
Three months later would come his next defeat, also on the Friday Night Fights circuit, though this one was far greater open to debate. Many believed he was robbed of a decision win in a highly entertaining ten-round scrap against Brian Vera.
Non-existent boxing standards in Colombia allowed Miller to return to his native country for a tune-up win over an anonymous and winless opponent earlier this year, juking the stats in snapping a two-fight losing streak.
To his credit, this was a fight Miller could’ve easily avoided but still willingly took. The two were scheduled to throw down on Solo Boxeo in August, only for visa issues to force the Colombian off of the show. Lopez wound up facing Billy Lyell, having little trouble in dispatching the American journeyman inside of five rounds.
As noted earlier, others have discovered loopholes in not just postponing fights with Lopez, but never revisiting. Barring any unforeseen issue between now and the opening bell, Miller will have at least proven to be a cut above the rest in terms of integrity.
But while their bout should prove to be entertaining for however long or short it lasts, a greater question is what awaits the winner.
A win would go a long way in the career of Samuel Miller, whose record for the moment boasts far more gloss than foundation.
A win for David Lopez will most likely lead to another fight like this. But not before he’s told that he’s next in line for a title shot or elimination bout that never pans out.
Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
