BoxRec

Has there ever been a harder Puncher than Danny "Little Red" Lopez at featherweight division?

The man could really hit!

Your thoughts.

Hard to say. I know some good punchers in this division but i don't think that all this guys hits harder than Little Red.

'Little Red' was definitely up there, but there have been some tremendous FW punchers.

Sandy Saddler
Chalky Wright
Terry McGovern

I could possibly add 'Hurricane Hank', though also a tremendous banger, more his style and strength, added to that power, made him such a force of nature. Juan LaPorte & Tony Canzoneri, too.

Azumah Nelson could really crack, when he wanted to and even though people mock the 'Prince', he also possessed fantastic one punch power.

Danny Lopez was one of my absolute favorite fighters when I was following the sport as a kid. A hard-swinging, tall, scrappy knockout artist. I felt great when Danny won the world title.

Then came that day in 1980 when he faced Salvador Sanchez. Lopez fought bravely but was really no match for the highly mobile Sanchez, who was nearly impossible to hit and threw picture perfect counterpunches. Same story in their rematch.

I recall that, when Danny was still reigning champion, boxing pundits were starting to speculate that he might qualify as an ATG at featherweight, or at least a near-ATG. But after losing to Sanchez, nobody ever rated Lopez that highly again.

Question in my mind is, what would have happened if Lopez had showdowns against Carlos Zarate and Wilfredo Gomez? I'm guessing Danny would have had a 50/50 chance against Zarate. But against Gomez, he would have been a heavy underdog.

I'm interested in other peoples' opinions on Lopez vs Zarate or Lopez vs Gomez.

Lopez's lack of defense dooms him against Gomez. I don't like Zarate at 126 at all.

Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez was about to challenge Danny"Little Red" Lopez in 1980, providing that Lopez wins in his next title defense against challenger Salvador Sanchez in February, 1980.

We all know the story. Sanchez broke those plans with a sensational win in 13 rounds and then in the rematch after that in April of that same year.

A well-prepared Gomez would have taken Little Red in my opinion. It would have been a great match.

Now, Carlos Zarate vs Little Red would have been a dream matchup between two fantastic knockout artists. Can Zarate carry the punching power to featherweight? I don't know. But he was the better inside fighter.

Naseem Hamed would be in the conversation. Manny Steward thought he was the hardest punching featherweight he’d ever seen.

Azumah Nelson could really crack as well.

Antonio Esparragoza was a solid puncher,Marcos Villasana,Paul Hodkinson,Juan Manuel Lopez ,Sugar Ramos .

Have go with Sandy Saddler.

Terry McGovern.
Agree with goose 5 about the Lopez hypotheticals.

Monzon83 wrote: ↑24 Oct 2023, 21:32 Naseem Hamed would be in the conversation. Manny Steward thought he was the hardest punching featherweight he’d ever seen.

Azumah Nelson could really crack as well.

His boxing style and form sort of reminded me of Carlos Monzon.

elmersalsa wrote: ↑24 Oct 2023, 19:15 Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez was about to challenge Danny"Little Red" Lopez in 1980, providing that Lopez wins in his next title defense against challenger Salvador Sanchez in February, 1980.

We all know the story. Sanchez broke those plans with a sensational win in 13 rounds and then in the rematch after that in April of that same year.

A well-prepared Gomez would have taken Little Red in my opinion. It would have been a great match.

Now, Carlos Zarate vs Little Red would have been a dream matchup between two fantastic knockout artists. Can Zarate carry the punching power to featherweight? I don't know. But he was the better inside fighter.

Gomez would have TKO'd Lopez in 1980. I remember watching the Sanchez fight live and it was a combination of Sanchez being great and Lopez looking like he was fighting somebody at another level near the end of his career. Lopez was never really in that fight. Gomez would have probably TKOed him sooner, but it would have been a similar fight. Zarate v Lopez would have been an absolute war. I wish it would have happened

Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑25 Oct 2023, 09:15 Have go with Sandy Saddler.

That's a good call. Even though, I don't see videos of him at his peak stopping fighters. In his record, he had about 15 straight KO wins in 1944. Pretty awesome.

elmersalsa wrote: ↑28 Oct 2023, 19:19

Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑25 Oct 2023, 09:15 Have go with Sandy Saddler.

That's a good call. Even though, I don't see videos of him at his peak stopping fighters. In his record, he had about 15 straight KO wins in 1944. Pretty awesome.

He's from the era with little video footage, but his record speaks for itself.

Saddler, Danny Lopez, and Naseem Hamed are some of the first names that come to mind for me at Featherweight when I think specifically of punching power at that weight class.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑07 Nov 2023, 14:06

elmersalsa wrote: ↑28 Oct 2023, 19:19

Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑25 Oct 2023, 09:15 Have go with Sandy Saddler.

That's a good call. Even though, I don't see videos of him at his peak stopping fighters. In his record, he had about 15 straight KO wins in 1944. Pretty awesome.

He's from the era with little video footage, but his record speaks for itself.

Saddler, Danny Lopez, and Naseem Hamed are some of the first names that come to mind for me at Featherweight when I think specifically of punching power at that weight class.

And the great Alexis Arguello, too.