Welterweight Louie Lopez built himself up on the Southern California regional scene, but now is looking to become a legitimate contender on Saturday night.

Lopez faces Jesus Saracho in a 10-round bout from Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. The bout will air on ProBox TV.

Lopez, a 28-year-old from Corona, California, spent most of his career fighting on the now defunct Thompson Boxing cards in Southern California. Lopez was not without setbacks. In 2020 he lost to Saul Bustos and he’d lose again to Angel Beltran in 2023. Yet, last July Lopez upset Alan Sanchez, which revived his career. 

Alex Camponovo of Camponovo Sports has been involved in Lopez’s journey each step of the way.

“It's not a predetermined situation. At some point in the boxer's career, it just clicks,” Camponovo, who promotes Lopez, said. “It's a bunch of different things that can go together, whether it's physical, mental, the place and time where they're at and you just see that they're in there and everything is flowing a little bit better, but there's not a predetermined thing like after the 15th fight he is going to get.”

Lopez is unbeaten in his last four fights and won both of his fights in 2024. Lopez, 16-2-2 (5 KOs), is trained by Henry Ramirez. 

He has traveled a tough road in his career, suffering bumps and bruises along the way. Now he is a battle tested veteran, hoping that his experience has prepared him for his biggest Southern California fight to date.

“Can he take the next step? I'm pretty sure he can, because mentally and physically, he's preparing for that and you can see it in his fights,” Camponovo said. “When a coach like Henry [Ramirez] is giving instructions and he is following them, not only does it mean that they train well, but also that he is listening to the instructions and he understands what he's doing in the ring. All of that's actually happening now and we're happy to see that development.”

Saracho, a 23-year-old Mexican who resides in Auburn, Washington, has become a staple of ProBox TV programming. He holds a win over Cesar Francis, had a draw with Tarik Zaina and, in his welterweight debut last July, he upset Alberto Palmetta. Saracho’s record is deceptive at 14-2-1 (11 KOs), as he has taken a slew of tough fights, tougher than most who share the same record. The two fighters with similar records find themselves in a 50-50-type fight, a tradition on ProBox TV. 

“Louis is one of those guys and I take my hat off to him,” Camponovo said. “He takes every challenge that's put in front of him."

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.