Josesito Lopez to face Victor Ortiz as replacement for Andre Berto – Boxing News
Andre Berto’s positive drug test result has opened doors of opportunities for Josesito Lopez. After the cancelation of Berto’s rematch, Josesito Lopez has been signed in to face the former welterweight champion Ortiz. The fight will take place on June 23
at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
When asked about the fight’s contract, Lopez’s manager and trainer Henry Ramirez stated, “98 percent done. There are just a few minor details being worked out between the promoters. "(Golden Boy) offered the fight to us on Friday afternoon. I got a call
from (Goossen Tutor Promotions matchmaker) Tom Brown saying we got the offer and I said, ‘We'll take it’. We're excited. We're ecstatic. Our job is to get the biggest fight out there for Josesito that we can for the best money we can get, and this is that
fight.”
On the other hand, Golden Boy Promotions endorsed Lopez’s statement that he has been offered the opportunity of replacing Berto. Stephen Espinoza, general manager of Showtime Sports said that they explored a variety of options and Lopez turned out to be
the best one so far. The statement further read that since Lopez is ready to take the fight on such a short notice, the organisation is happy about it. He added that Lopez is a tough, strong and experienced fighter who can match up the capabilities of Ortiz
and that he has been good in his last few fights which makes him the perfect match.
It should be noted here that Victory Ortiz has already demanded an investigation into the scene. According to Ortiz, if Berto was on drugs in their last fight as well, when he won the title from Ortiz, then the fight should be called a ‘No Contest’. Similar
to Amir Khan’s appeal, even Ortiz wants his titles back considering Berto was juiced up in their last encounter.
For now, Josesito is a consideration to replace Berto. If things work out, then this will be Josesito’s chance to make it big in the industry. However, since Josesito will take up the fight on a short notice, he might not be as prepared as expected.
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