Juanmita López De Jesús prepares to make his professional debut on February 14 at The Theater in Madison Square Garden on the undercard of Denys Berinchyk-Keyshawn Davis, but the junior bantamweight won’t have to look far for inspiration.
The son of the Puerto Rican star and heavy-punching southpaw Juan Manuel Lopez – known affectionately in the sport as “Juanma” – the youngster has had no greater influence in his life than his father.
“I was born when he made his pro debut, so since then boxing is always in my life,” López De Jesús told BoxingScene. “Boxing has been my favorite sport since then. My father is a two-time world champion, so I started boxing and, yeah, he’s my favorite fighter. I always look at him like a superhero.
“He says in many interviews that I look at him like he was Superman, so he’s my inspiration always. I always look at him so I can learn things. He’s my number one inspiration in life.”
López De Jesús was an Olympian in 2024 – his father was an Olympian 20 years earlier – who represented Puerto Rico. His dad was also promoted by Top Rank and has instructed him to be ready for a different environment as he transitions from the amateurs to the professionals.
“He told me that it’s a different sport,” López De Jesús said. “Amateur and pro, it’s very different. And he told me that I’m going to learn, like, I’m start[ing] boxing right now. Everything is going to change in my life when I turn pro.”
He left the amateurs satisfied, having boxed at the Paris Games and, with no boxes left to tick, López De Jesús believes the experience will stand him in good stead. He also believes he will adapt quickly to the different nuances required by the pro game.
“Well, in the amateurs, I boxed a lot – I liked to use my agility, to box,” he said. “But now in the pros, I have more patience. I can be more calm when the round comes. I can hit harder. So I think that people are going to see a stronger Juanmita.
“We’re going to see a stronger guy; more smarter. I think I fight a lot. I look like my father a lot. But I like to use everything: my angles, my agility in the ring. So the people will see a little bit of Juan Manuel and a little bit of Juanmita.”
López De Jesús was just 18 at the Olympics. He has fought top fighters from all over the world and credits Uzbekistan’s Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov – who defeated him in Paris – as the best he has shared a ring with.
López De Jesús has aspirations of boxing in New York during the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade held in the city – likely on a bill with Top Rank-promoted junior middleweight contender Xander Zayas – and he is not merely aiming for the top, but being inspired to do so by Puerto Rican boxing giants.
“Puerto Rico is my life – it’s everything,” López De Jesús said. “Being Puerto Rican is the best thing that happened to me. When I’m going to fight and I see the flag of Puerto Rico, it’s the best thing that I have. Felix [Trinidad] is an idol. Tito, and [Miguel] Cotto, too. They’re idols. If I see them in the streets, it’s like, ‘Whoa, there’s the legend.’ They walk in Puerto Rico and it’s great for everybody. So one day I want to be like them.”
For the longest time in his career, Juan Manuel Lopez was on a collision course with Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa in a fight that could have thrilled a generation, but it failed to materialize.
Lopez’s son doesn’t want to let such big fight opportunities pass him by.
“Yeah, when you’re in the amateurs, you can’t duck anybody,” he said. “You have to fight with everybody that is in the list. So now in pro, I want to fight the best – every fighter that is in the rankings, I want to fight with them. So that thing that happened with my father and Gamboa doesn’t happen to me; that the people don’t stay waiting for a fight that’s never going to happen.”
And while López De Jesús will be doing well to emulate his father’s superb career, he is keen to forge his own path and determined to be not just one of the best in the sport, but one of the best from his proud fighting nation.
“I want to be world champion – my main goal is to be world champion,” he said. “But I want to be undisputed one day. I want the people to say that I was one of the best Puerto Rican fighters.”
