GOOD

Two careers seemed to have changed after Andres Gutierrez inexplicably missed weight by 11 pounds this past Friday.

Gutierrez was scheduled to fight Oscar Valdez in a Valdez’s 130-pound debut Saturday in Las Vegas but weighed in at 141 pounds, which technically made him a welterweight. He was thrown off the card and reportedly out of his hotel shortly thereafter.

What promoter is going to want to work with the Mexican fighter again after that fiasco?

Meanwhile, Gutierrez’s downfall turned into an opportunity for Adam Lopez, who was set to fight another opponent at 126 pounds on the card. The son of the late Mexican Olympian and pro contender Hector Lopez agreed to step up and face Valdez, who also fought for Mexico in the Olympics.

Lopez made the most of the moment, beautifully outboxing Valdez for much of their fight – including a second-round knockdown – before suffering a seventh-round knockout that many believe referee Russell Mora stopped too soon.

Lopez, only 23, was devastated, particularly because of the way the fight ended, but he had made a strong statement. This young man can fight. The pain from the loss will soon give way to the opportunities of which he’s dreamed. And no one will be surprised if he makes the most of them.

As his trainer, Buddy McGirt, put it, “He lost the battle but won the war.”

 

BAD

I had the opportunity to cover and get to know Hector Lopez in the mid-1990s.

The 1984 Olympic silver medalist from Mexico, who lived in the Los Angeles area, was an edgy, but interesting person. And, boy, could he box. He never won a world title – losing to Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Sammy Fuentes and Randall Baily in his only three shots – but anyone who saw him fight could recognize his impressive skill set.

“This kid had all the boxing skills in the world that anybody could dream,” longtime manager Harry Kazandjian once told the Glendale News-Press.

Navigating life outside the ring was Lopez’s problem. His career was interrupted in 1989 when he went to prison for 19 months on burglary and gun charges. He was later deported to his native Mexico after another prison term. And he took drugs, which cost him a one-year suspension when he tested positive for marijuana in 1995.

I always imagined how good he might’ve been had he focused solely on boxing. Instead, his demons dragged him down and ultimately led him to an early death in Mexico City. He reportedly succumbed to a drug overdose or a heart attack related to drug use in 2011. He was only 44 and considering a comeback.

“He was his own worst enemy,” Kazandjian said.

Adam Lopez, who was 15 when his father died, was fortunate to inherit his boxing skills. The fact the elder Lopez isn’t around to see his son blossom is tragic.

 

WORSE

Last week, I railed against Julio Ceja and Luis Nery for missing weight by 4½ pounds and 1 pound, respectively. Then Gutierrez proceeds to come in an absurd 11 pounds over the limit for his junior lightweight fight against Oscar Valdez on Saturday.

What’s worse than unprofessional? Bob Arum, who promoted the card, was livid.

“I’ve seen a guy two, three pounds overweight,” he told ESPN.com. “That’s still unprofessional. To come in 11 pounds overweight is a f—ing disgrace. A disgrace. I’ve never seen anything like it. He showed up at the last minute. It’s disgraceful. Valdez trained his ass off, and then for a guy to come in 11 pounds overweight is a disgrace.”

And it doesn’t even make sense because Gutierrez was on track to make weight. According to the WBC, which requires weight checks leading up to the fight, he weighed 142.7 30 days before the fight, 136.8 14 days out and 133 a week before.

How the hell did he come in at 141? The only fathomable answer is that he didn’t want to fight, at least not at the agreed upon weight. Maybe he thought he’d be closer to the limit and Valdez would fight him anyway, as he did against an overweight Scott Quigg last year.

No one says it’s easy to make weight. By all accounts, it can be hell. Still, a professional in essence promises to come in under the limit when he agrees to fight. Failing to so, particularly by such a large amount, is inexcusable.