Lopez should be Hall of Famer

Danny “Little Red” Lopez:  The IBHOF’s Forgotten ManInduction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, is the “championship belt” every fighter seeks. It is representative of having left one’s mark on the sport; being recognized as one of the greats in the annals of boxing. There a plaque is placed and the fighter can stand tall and proud knowing his name is enshrined alongside that of Henry Armstrong, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Willie Pep, and Sugar Ray Robinson, the legends of the sport.

More contemporary names that now appear in that hallowed hall are those of Bobby Chacon, Ruben Olivares, Eusebio Pedroza, and Salvador Sanchez. But missing from among those names, among those legends of the sport, is Danny “Little Red” Lopez. In reviewing the life, career, and accomplishments of Lopez the question arises as to why this immensely popular and legendary former Featherweight Champion has yet to be asked to take his place among boxing’s elite.

Of Irish, Mexican, and Native American ancestry, Danny Lopez grew up on a Ute Indian Reservation in Fort Duquesne, Utah, one of seven brothers and sisters. After a troubled childhood, he took an interest in boxing and followed in the footsteps of older brother, welterweight Ernie “Indian Red” Lopez, and turned pro at age 18.Comment:  Needless to say, the cover below is stupid and stereotypical.