Danny Lopez (boxer) facts for kids

Danny Lopez (born July 6, 1952) is a famous American former professional boxer. He was known as Little Red because of his red hair. Danny Lopez was the world champion in the featherweight division from 1976 to 1980.

He was famous for hitting very hard. In 2003, The Ring magazine, a well-known boxing publication, called him one of the "100 Greatest Punchers." In 2010, Danny Lopez was honored by being added to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This means he is recognized as one of the best boxers ever.

About Danny Lopez

Danny Lopez has a mix of Native American, Mexican, and European-American family background. He grew up moving between different foster homes. He came from the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation in Fort Duchesne, Utah. Later, he found a home in Southern California.

His father was from a Mission Indian tribe in Northern California. His maternal grandmother was mostly Ute, and his maternal grandfather had Irish roots. Danny Lopez also has a brother, Ernie Lopez, who was also a professional boxer. Danny is married to Bonnie Lopez, and they have three sons named Bronson, Jeremy, and Dylan.

Danny's Boxing Career

Danny Lopez started his professional boxing career on May 27, 1971. His first fight was in Los Angeles, where he won by knockout in the first round. He won his first 21 fights in a row, all by knockout! This was one of the longest knockout streaks in boxing history. Most of these early fights were in Los Angeles, which made him very popular there.

On January 17, 1974, Danny Lopez fought Genzo Kurosawa. This was the first time an opponent lasted all ten rounds against him, but Danny still won by decision. His next fight was in Mexico, where he won by knockout.

People in Los Angeles really wanted to see Danny Lopez fight another rising star, Bobby Chacon. Their exciting fight happened on May 24, 1974. Danny lost this fight by knockout in the ninth round. After this, he lost another fight to Shig Furuyama.

In 1975, after another loss, Danny Lopez started winning again. He beat Chucho Castillo and then had a big win against Rubén Olivares. Danny was knocked down in the first round but got back up to win by knockout in the seventh round.

Becoming a World Champion

In 1976, Danny Lopez continued his winning streak. He defeated Sean O'Grady, Octavio Gomez, and Art Hafey, all by knockout. Because of these wins, he became the number one ranked boxer by the WBC.

He then traveled to Ghana to challenge the world Featherweight champion, David Kotei. More than 100,000 fans were there to support Kotei. Danny Lopez won the world championship by beating Kotei over 15 rounds on November 6. It was hard to share the news because communication systems in Ghana were down. His family only found out he was world champion when they picked him up at the airport a week later!

Defending His Title

Danny Lopez successfully defended his title many times. In 1977, he kept his championship by beating José Torres. He had a rematch with David Kotei in 1978 and won by knockout in the sixth round. He also defended his title against Jose DePaula and Juan Malvares. Later that year, he won against Fel Clemente in Italy.

In 1979, Danny Lopez fought Roberto Castañón in Salt Lake City. This was his first professional fight in his home state of Utah. He won by knockout in the second round, keeping his world title. On June 17, 1979, in San Antonio, he had an amazing fight against Mike Ayala. Danny won by knockout in the 15th round. This exciting match was named the "Fight of the Year" by Ring Magazine. He defended his title one more time that year, knocking out Jose Caba.

End of a Reign

Danny Lopez's time as world champion ended on February 2, 1980. He lost his title to Salvador Sánchez by knockout in the 13th round. They had a rematch in June, and Danny was knocked out in the 14th round. After this second loss, he decided to retire from boxing.

He briefly considered coming back in 1985, but waited until 1992. At 40 years old, he fought one more time but lost. Danny Lopez finished his career with 42 wins and 6 losses. An amazing 39 of his wins were by knockout!

In June 2010, Danny Lopez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, recognizing his incredible career.

Life After Boxing

After he stopped boxing, Danny Lopez was often invited to special events. He also signed autographs for fans. He moved back to Utah for a while, then returned to Los Angeles. There, he worked in construction. Today, he lives in Chino Hills, California.

Danny Lopez also acted in a movie called "Fists of Steel" in 1989.

Honors and Awards

• Inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame – 2005
• Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame – 2010

See also

• Notable boxing families
• Lineal championship
• List of world featherweight boxing champions