Why Josesito Lopez vs. Francisco Santana can be fight of the night

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Danny Garcia is the star attraction on Dec. 5, but Josesito Lopez vs. Francisco Santana could be the fight of the night. 

After suffering a devastating and nearly fatal car accident, the return of Errol Spence Jr. is the driving narrative going into his pay-per-view fight against former world champion Danny Garcia on Saturday, Dec. 4. Spence vs. Garcia will be an exciting fight, but Josesito Lopez vs. Francisco Santana might produce the most action on the entire fight card.

There’s a massive gulf in talent between the two fights previously mentioned. Spence (26-0, 21 KOs) is the reigning WBC and IBF welterweight champion, and Garcia (36-2, 21 KOs) once held the WBC belt before losing it to Keith Thurman in 2017 by a close split decision.

Lopez (37-8, 20 KOs) has challenged for a world title on several occasions, but he has always come up short. His opponent Santana (25-8-1, 12 KOs) has fought some of the world’s best boxers but has routinely been on the wrong side of lopsided decisions.

Lopez and Santana have a lot in common. They hold comparable records, are about the same height, like to come forward and trade punches, and are in their mid-30s. Both also need a win if they want to keep their boxing dreams alive. Age is a factor, and they’re nearing the end of their boxing journies, but who wants it more?

Along with their similar fighting styles, the necessity for victory makes Lopez vs. Santana one of the fights to watch on the Spence vs. Garcia fight card. Lopez and Santana don’t know each other personally, but their glaring similarities are apparent to them.

“I let people compare us,” Santana told FanSided during a recent media call. “Essentially, it is that we do have a similar record, similar type of style. We both come forward, all action.

Welterweights Josesito Lopez and Francisco Santana are action fighters who have a lot riding on their Dec. 5 bout

Santana added, “So, I don’t know what he’s like outside of work, but inside the ring, I think that we are very similar.”

Santan has never challenged for a major world title, but he has fought champions like Jarrett Hurd, Jose Benavidez Jr., Sadam Ali, and Jermell Charlo, but he lost decisions every time. He did fight former junior middleweight Julian Williams to a draw, but that was a six-round affair in 2011.

Santana is riding a two-fight losing streak, and at 34 years old, another loss could end his career or relegate him to journeyman status for his remaining time in boxing.

Lopez has never won a world title, but he has been in the mix. Unlike Santana, he has been stopped on multiple occasions, with the most recent stoppage coming against Andre Berto in 2015.

In his last contest, Lopez knocked out John Molina Jr. in round 8. Before that, he fought admirably against Thurman in 2019 and had him in serious trouble throughout the fight. Recently, Lopez has looked like a rejuvenated fighter despite being 36 years old. The Riverside Rocky attributes a lot of credit to his growth as a boxer to trainer Robert Garcia.

“He’s helped me become a smart technician,” said Lopez. “And then we have one of the best gyms in the entire world with the most amount of quality fighters.

“So, as far as experience, I bring the experience, but quality fighters in sparring helps, and they have the best of the best here.  No shortage of sparring and good work, and we all push each other.  So it’s been all good since I made the move.”

Lopez added, “And then Robert helped me to tweak small things that have made a big change in my boxing.  So those small changes can – it goes a long way for me.”

Spence vs. Garcia brings eyes to the fight card, but Lopez vs. Santana might take fight of the night honors. The FOX pay-per-view card is on Saturday, Dec. 5. Coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET.