Rising junior featherweight Cristopher Lopez is scheduled to take on former flyweight world champion Hernan Marquez on Sept. 20 at Estadio de Altamira in Tamaulipas, Mexico.
Lopez (19-0-2, 13 knockouts) and Marquez (48-11-2, 33 KOs) will headline the Latin KO promotion, which will be broadcast on Televisa in Mexico.
Lopez, the younger man by eight years, will be looking to add a good name to his resume. Marquez is returning from 23 months of inactivity, which means he can ill afford a defeat if he hopes to get more big fights.
In the co-feature, former world title challenger
David Cuellar will return for the first time since he lost to WBC bantamweight champion
Junto Nakatani on Feb. 24. Cuellar (28-1, 18 KOs) will face Venezuela's Juan Carlos Mancilla (12-1, 6 KOs).
The undercard will feature a handful of prospects, including junior featherweight Jesus Lezama (10-0-1, 4 KOs).
Lopez, who turned professional in 2016, has fought only eight times over the past five years. The Guadalajara native's biggest victory was a unanimous decision over former world title challenger Franklin Manzanilla in October 2021.
Since then, he fought just twice in 2022 and was held to a draw by Brandon Gamez in his lone appearance in 2023. He fought twice last year and once earlier this year.
Marquez has been a professional since 2005. He won his first 27 fights before losing to Richie Mepranum (UD 10) and then to Nonito Donaire (TKO 8). However, he rebounded strongly to claim the WBA flyweight title when he won a wild affair against Luis Concepción (TKO 11) in April 2011.
He made two defenses, including a first-round stoppage over Concepción in a rematch, before he lost to WBO titlist Brian Viloria (KO 12) in a unification match in November 2012.
The now 36-year-old warhorse shared the ring in losing efforts against the likes of Juan Francisco Estrada (KO 10) in at shot at his old WBO 112-pound title, old rival Concepcion (UD 12) and Francisco Rodriguez Jr. (KO 3), in 2018.
"Tyson" has fought just six times since then, five of them wins, including a victory over Concepción (SD 10) in their fourth encounter. Last time out, he was beaten by future WBA bantamweight titlist Antonio Vargas (UD 10) in October 2023.
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