Luis Alberto Lopez vs Joet Gonzalez: 'When we get in the ring, there is no respect. It's going to be a total war'

Luis Alberto Lopez has toured Great Britain and Northern Ireland, winning and defending his IBF featherweight world title.

He's even fought at the small but historic boxing venue, York Hall in the East End of London.

In 2021, after he had handed Gabriel Flores a first defeat, he administered another first professional defeat to Isaac Lowe, knocking the Briton out in seven rounds at York Hall.

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He returned to the UK as a world title challenger a year later, upsetting Josh Warrington in Leeds to win a decision and capture the IBF featherweight championship.

"It meant the world to me to win again Josh Warrington in Leeds. Everything was against me," Lopez told Sky Sports.

"The crowd was against me. It was a very, very rough crowd and he was a very dirty fighter but at the end of the day, my team and I were able to pull out the win."

That was a key victory and Lopez showed his calibre again in May when he took on Michael Conlan, the popular Olympic medallist, at the SSE Arena in Belfast.

Lopez overpowered the Irishman and stopped him inside five rounds.

"The atmosphere in Belfast was amazing. People were great to me," Lopez said. "Even when people were cheering for Michael Conlan and they had Conlan shirts and flags, they would still come up to me and tell me that they liked my boxing.

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"The performance, it's what we planned. I'm not surprised. People were telling me they were surprised but I'm not surprised because when you put the hard work in, you know what you're capable of."

The Mexican is a fighter in form and at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, he makes the second defence of his title, live on Sky Sports Arena from 1am on Saturday morning.

His challenger is Joet Gonzalez, who has been defeated three times in his professional career but only by top-class opposition: multi-weight world champions Shakur Stevenson and Emanuel Navarrete as well as former world champion Isaac Dogboe.

"I respect him [Gonzalez] because he has had great fights. He has done a great job in his career. But you know that when we get in the ring, there is no respect. I am going to take this belt home for my family and for Mexico," Lopez declared.

Boxing on Mexican Independence weekend adds an extra edge to the fight.

"I am happy to fight on an important date for Mexico where Joet Gonzalez and I will be representing our country. We are going to present a real war that night," Lopez said.

"It's going to be a total war. When there are two hungry Mexicans in the ring, they always go at it with everything. We know that Joet Gonzalez is tough. And my goal, as I've said, is to knock him out."

For Gonzalez, it is a third and quite possibly final chance to win a world title. He's unlikely to get another opportunity like this.

"I've got to win," Gonzalez said. "Every time I step into the ring, I give it my all.

"Sometimes it's not your night. It is what it is. But I'm still here, and I'm going to give it my all every time.

"I'm expecting a great fight. It's a big day for Mexico. All I have to do is win and become the new IBF world champion. Plain and simple. I can't go home empty-handed."

However, Lopez exhibited little doubt that he would prevail.

"I'm not over-confident that I'm going to beat Joet Gonzalez," he said. "I'm confident in the work that I've put in.

"I'm confident in the strategy that me and my team have worked on. I'm confident that I didn't struggle to make weight. I'm confident that I've been doing the proper sparring with the right people. I'm confident that the work is there.

"I respect Joet Gonzalez so it's not that Joet Gonazalez is not a good enough fighter to be sharing the ring with me. It's just that I've been working so hard that I believe in myself. This is not diminishing his work, it's just applauding what I've been doing in the gym."

Lopez promised: "We are ready as always. I am a fighter who knows how to give exciting fights. I am a warrior who goes forward. They know that when 'El Venado' gets in the ring, there will be a great show."

There will be exciting options for him if he is successful. Impressive Cuban world champion Robeisy Ramirez for instance holds the WBO belt at 126lbs.

"As long as it makes sense, I'll take on any name, I'll take on any challenge, I'll take on any fighter in the world," Lopez said.

"Me and my team will go anywhere. We've proven this before. We'll go to the end of the world."

Watch the Luis Alberto Lopez vs Joet Gonzalez world title fight from 1am on Saturday morning live on Sky Sports Arena