Silva-Lopez opens a Top Rank promoted ESPN telecast headlined by New Orleans’ own Regis Prograis, 21-0 (18 KO’s), against Argentina’s Juan Jose Velasco, 20-0 (12 KO’s), for the WBC interim junior welterweight championship.
Hailing from Sao Paulo, Brazil and fighting out of Plant City, FL, Silva has an outstanding professional ledger of 25-1 with 14 knockouts. In his most recent bout, Silva shutout Rogelio Casarez to capture the IBO Continental and NBA World lightweight championships. The 31-year-old Silva trains under Jose Rodriguez at the Plant City Boxing Gym and made significant strides since his lone setback against Felix Verdejo in 2016.
Widely regarded among America’s best young fighters, Lopez is a perfect 9-0 with 7 wins by knockout. On May 12, Lopez demolished once-beaten Vitor Jones Freitas in 64 seconds. Born in Brooklyn, NY and based in Davie, FL, the highly-touted Lopez represented his parents’ home country of Honduras in the 2016 Olympics but lost in the opening round eventual silver medalist Sofiane Oumiha of France.
The Silva-Lopez bout is for the NBA World and IBO Continental lightweight titles.
“We’re extremely excited for the opportunity to get William back on a major platform,” said Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. “Lopez is a very talented fighter and we respect his ability but William has a major edge in experience. He’s improved tremendously since his last big fight against Verdejo and I think the boxing world is in for a surprise July 14.”
