Boxing returns to NYC on Thursday night as Boxing Insider hosts a live event from the Sony Hall in Times Square. It is there that super bantamweight contender Ariel ‘El Kuman’ Lopez (20-1-1, 11 KOs) will put his WBC super-bantamweight Intercontinental Latin title on the line against Gregorio Lebron (24-6, 18 KOs). Lopez is a 27-year-old contender who wants to make the best out of all his opportunities this year in hopes of landing a world title shot, and it all starts with getting past Lebron on Thursday.
Although Lopez was born in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, he came to the U.S. at about five or six. It was first a short stint in Harlem before moving to Brooklyn, where he would be molded into the person he is today. Growing up in NYC isn’t easy, and Lopez knew that as long as he stayed off the streets and did what he had to do, things would work out, and they did. Although things at home were difficult with both parents working and being the youngest of five kids, he learned an important lesson, which was that you must work hard to provide for your family for them to have a decent living.
Lopez started boxing a little later than most kids, but it wasn’t because he was lazy. Lopez was into karate before his father signed him up for boxing at a local gym when he was 14. Lopez’s father was big on his son learning to defend himself, and his background as a lucha libre wrestler in Mexico influenced that decision. Although his father didn’t make it big, he gave it up to support his family. It’s something that Lopez took on, except that he isn’t ready to let go of his dream of becoming a world champion to provide for his family entirely.
Lopez debuted at 20 and has stuck with it ever since. He works out of Gleason’s Gym in DUMBO, where Martin Gonzalez and his son train Lopez. But Lopez lives in NY, which means that aside from fighting, he needs to have a job to bring money into his home, which consists of a wife and two kids. “NYC is expensive,” said Lopez. “I’ve had several jobs. If you are going to take boxing seriously, you have to accommodate. Right now, I’m working as a delivery man, which gives me time to train for my fights.”
Having a job to provide for your family as a fighter is only part of a vicious schedule. Lopez shared that his day starts with dropping off his son at school, then picking him up, waiting for his wife to get home from her job as a teacher so that he can clock in for work, and then finish the day with a jog after his shift is over. He does that every day, and that can be exhausting for anyone.
Still, Lopez keeps his head high and continues to put in the work, hoping it all pays off in the end with a world title shot. Lopez will have his hands full with a veteran fighter like Lebron on Thursday night, but if he can look great in victory, Lopez can position himself in the top 15 within the WBC rankings, which will get him on his way to the biggest fight of his young career.
