Rich “Lite It Up” Lopez: Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Boxing Writing & More…

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Exclusive Interview by Joshua “City” Brewer

“I was a huge Juan Manuel Marquez fan and followed his career starting back to his days fighting at the Forum in the 90’s. I always felt he was an underrated fighter and never got his credit.” – Rich “Lite It Up” Lopez

Once again, it’s time to check in with a fellow RSR writer. I know I’ve said it before, but it’s all for the love of the sport. Rich “Lite It Up” Lopez is the man of the hour. From a boxing perspective, consider him an 80’s baby as he came up in the era of “Sugar” Ray Leonard and “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler. That said, it’s the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, SR., and “Iron” Mike Tyson who got him going in the 90s. Eventually, Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez became a cornerstone of his continued love for boxing.

Fast forward to now and the bond holds together as strong as ever. The buck doesn’t stop here. Boxing is in a bit of a resurgence by virtue of the crop of fighters in this era choosing to challenge themselves against the best each division has to offer. From flyweight to welterweight, there isn’t a shortage of great fighters looking to make great fights. With that, we get a ringside view of what has been Rich’s most fondest moments over the last several years in the sport of boxing.

JB: What got you into boxing?

I grew with up with boxing and it started with my father and my uncle. They were big fans of the sport and still are today. My uncle was also an amateur boxer back in the early 80’s when I was a little kid. So, I was always around it. Both of them also started to record the fights back then as well which eventually I picked up as well. This is one of the reasons I have a huge collection of boxing fights today. I do have early memories of tagging along with my father and uncle to see the Leonard/Hearns II fight live on closed circuit. At that time, I believe I just wanted to tag along with them.

During the late 80’s and early 90’s I was into wrestling (yes, the fake stuff). Then again, I was a little boy at that time. I would only watch the big fights with the family like the Chavez/Tyson fights. I dropped the wrestling thing and started to get into boxing in the mid 90’s. I found the sport exciting and love the one on one competition. Eventually I would get more into it and start to learn more about the fighters of the past as well. The rest is history.

JB: What led you to writing about boxing and was writing something you always envisioned doing?

Well, I figured I talk about boxing so much, why not write about it? Plus, I came across “Bad” Brad Berkwitt’s post about looking for boxing writer’s, so I gave it a shot. To answer the second question, yes, I wanted to do this earlier about 10 years ago. I held back due to family obligations and felt I would not be able to commit to any boxing gigs. I always wanted to contribute to boxing somehow and will continue to do so.

JB: You’ve recently written articles that generated a lot of buzz. Most recently, the overrated fighters piece featuring Tyson Fury, Adrien Broner, and Guillermo Rigondeaux. I didn’t think Rigo deserved to be in the list, but I pretty much side with on the other two. Interestingly, people keep bringing up Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder’s names the most as far as being overrated. What are your thoughts on that and those fighters?

I don’t think neither of those fighters are overrated. I think they are both good fighters and so far, they are proving they are tough as well. Both fighters have shown adversity in recent fights. It’s now a matter of getting these guys together to fight each other.

JB: Fast forward to 2019. When the smoke clears, who will be #1 at heavyweight?

It is hard to say as I think it’s a tossup between Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua. But if I have to go with someone I’ll take Deontay Wilder. I’m sure these guys will fight next year for sure and it’s a pick’em fight.

JB: A lot of great matchups should take place over the next several months. What fights are you looking forward to the most?

I’m looking forward to Mikey Garcia Vs Robert Easter, JR. and of course Canelo Alvarez Vs “GGG” II.

JB: What fighter today do you most enjoy watching?

I really enjoy watching Mickey Garcia. The guy has good skills and good fundamentals.

JB: What fighter of the past did you enjoy watching?

There are many fighters I liked from the past. The one fighter that started it out for me was Julio Cesar Chavez, SR. I like his constant pressure and like his body attack. In recent years, my favorites were Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.

JB: What’s your favorite fight of all time?

There are so many fights but if I have to choose one it would be Juan Manuel Marquez Vs Manny Pacquiao IV. I was a huge Marquez fan and followed his career starting back to his days fighting at the Forum in the 90’s. I always felt he was an underrated fighter and never got his credit. Then of course he had the battles with Pacquiao which did get him more popular, but he received the short end of stick in those decisions.

I really thought Marquez won all three fights and was going to win the fourth fight, however I did not think Marquez was going to knock out Pacquiao. Also, the fight had it all: excitement, drama, and then the shocking knockout. The fight will be talked about in boxing history.

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