The path being opened by Lester Martinez has a talented follower in light-heavyweight Najee Lopez.
The 26-year-old Puerto Rico product headlines Saturday’s ProBoxTV card from Kissimmee, Florida, when he meets Arkansas Kalvin Henderson 19-2-1 (13 KOs) at Osceola Heritage Park.
The co-main event features similarly promising Emiliano Moreno 12-0 (7 KOs) of Long Beach, California, meets Dominican Republic’s Raul Garcia 14-2-1 (12 KOs) in welterweight action.
On an episode of ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today” this week, analysts and former world champions Chris Algieri and Paulie Malignaggi broke down the two bouts that begin at 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific on ProBox TV’s YouTube channel.
Two weeks after ProBoxTV super-middleweight contender Martinez enhanced his stock greatly by fighting interim champion Christian Mbilli to a draw in the Terence Crawford-Canelo Alvarez co-main event, Lopez 14-0 (11 KOs) seeks to elevate his position while currently ranked 10th by the WBA among 175lbs contenders.
“It’s pressure, but it’s also a lot of excitement,” Malignaggi said. “It’s so close you can almost taste it while there’s a danger lurking in front of you that can stop you from getting there. You’re almost there, but Kalvin Henderson is not exactly a gimme.”
Lopez is riding a three-fight streak of stoppages after being dropped by Steven Sumpter in a July 2024 ProBox card, building a reputation for fighting “fire with fire,” according to Algieri.
“Kalvin has banana peel written all over him … seems to be in great shape, has a quiet confidence and has enough of a punch and experience to get the win. This is a real tough fight.
While Lopez has shown “growing pains” during his development, the analysts said landing this type of fight also shows Lopez has the means to win impressively and accelerate his climb in a division loaded with talent that includes champions Dmitry Bivol and David Benavidez along with former champion Artur Beterbiev and elite contender David Morrell of Cuba.
“You’ve got to be ready [for a test like this],” Malignaggi said. “Kalvin has been in there with Morell [losing by fourth-round TKO in 2022]. The top of the division’s getting older. The phenoms [like Lopez] have potential. You learn things you need to work on, to protect, to look out for.
“Najee has power with athleticism and can be destructive. The only question is, ‘Does he have the chin?’”
Balancing knowing when to step on and off the gas is part of that process.
“Once you get to that highest level, there’s no mistakes or you’ll find yourself waking up in a dressing room or down 10-0 on points,” Algieri said.
As the 20-year-old Moreno continues his ascent versus Garcia, 27, he too should resolve “you can’t knock everyone out.
“Emiliano has been in tough on our [ProBoxTV] air every single time and it speaks to his team’s confidence,” Algieri said.
Defeating veteran contender Erick Bone by seventh-round TKO last time out was encouraging and even if Garcia turns to a “lull-them-to-sleep” style seeking a victory by decision, Moreno should assert his will.
“Garcia has the burden of that he was once a prospect and may feel he’s being used as an opponent,” Malignaggi said. “It’s a clash here, a crossroads fight. … You expect Moreno to come through as a blue-chip prospect, but this is a battle on a lot of fronts. If Moreno puts the hurt on Garcia, it’s a big career trajectory win.”
