Boxing Prospect Watch: Adam Lopez

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He was always easy to spot, simply because he stood out -- and not in the way you would think. As a child, Adam Lopez had a magnetic way of drawing in the fools by nothing in particular that he did. His problem: He was tiny. That made him fair game for a bully named Tommy, by the swing set, or near the playground sandbox, or really anywhere the two were in the general vicinity of one another.

Lopez’s father, Robert, was not having it. He snatched up his son and introduced him to boxing. The bullying stopped. A new way of life began.

Lopez is still on his journey and about to take another step on Friday, with his third appearance on Showtime’s ShoBox. He will be featured in the super bantamweight main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. For the third time, Lopez (14-0, 8 KOs) will take on an undefeated fighter: 25-year-old Mexican Mario Munoz (16-0-1, 10 KOs).

In some ways, Lopez will be staring across the ring at his former nemesis, the bully named Tommy, when he climbs through the ropes against Munoz.

“My father would see me get bullied as a kid, and he told me to go over and fight the kid,” he said. “I would fight the kid and beat the hell out of him. I learned how to throw a left hook when I was 6. I guess my father saw that I could fight and got me into boxing. I just remember the one kid, Tommy. I don’t remember his last name, but I do remember he was bigger than I was; and I was small. I mean really, really small. I had two or three encounters with the kid. The kid wouldn’t wait for me; he just didn’t like me and always picked on me. My father didn’t like it. I didn’t like it.

“I didn’t want to be that kid who cried and ran away all of the time,” Lopez added. “It wasn’t like I had a constant bully on my ass. It was kids being kids. I just happened to be a really small kid that bigger kids thought they could pick on, but I was a target because I was small. You’re not going to pick on the big kid. You’re going to pick on the small kid. That was me. I stood up for myself.”

Lopez, who now stands 5-foot-7, admits there was a rage that used to stir inside him. Through time, it has been harnessed and has translated into great success in the ring. As an amateur 114-pounder, he accrued a 123-25 record. He won six national titles and was ranked No. 1 in the United States at 114 in 2009-10. Lopez fought in various countries and won a bronze at the under-19 world games.

“Those memories of being bullied are always a part of you, and you do find out in time that the ring now becomes your playpen and no one will bully me in there,” he said. “Boxing became something that I have loved. It’s weird, because in the midst of chaos and you’re fighting and everything, that’s where you find your peace. You can become anyone you want to be in there.

“Outside of boxing, I’m still considered small to regular people,” Lopez added. “I’m 5-7 and skinny, but as a super bantamweight, I’m considered big.”

Lopez wants this year to be a jumping point in his career. He had managerial issues during his early days as a pro, and he says they are now settled. His sole focus is to look good against the orthodox-style Munoz, who has not fought in nine months and is a counterpuncher.

“Munoz is a good fighter who likes to box a little,” said Lopez, who is trained by former IBF super featherweight world champion Carlos “El Famoso” Hernandez. “He can move and he likes to exchange. He’s a scrappy fighter, and it’s a perfect ShoBox fight. This is a fight that will test me.”

Hernandez feels confident in his fighter. He has been working with Lopez for the past three years and likes his ring intelligence and intensity. Being on national TV twice before, Lopez has also built a nice comfort cocoon. He is no longer rattled by the bright lights and large crowds. In fact, Lopez claims he is downright relaxed about this fight.

“Adam reminds me of a couple of guys, most prominently though is someone like Michael Carbajal,” Hernandez said. “That’s because Michael Carbajal could punch, but Adam is more a boxer, too. I’m trying to teach him to adapt to different styles of fighting. Adam has that confidence you like in a fighter. I want him relaxed and [to] get ready to show the world what he is and what he has to offer. I want all of that to come out Friday night. Munoz is a durable guy and tough. Adam has a big fight on his hands.”

That is nothing new to Lopez.

Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.