Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Michael Conlan Fight Card, Odds, & Predictions

Mexico’s Luis Alberto Lopez (27-2) will be defending his IBF World Featherweight title in enemy territory against Ireland’s Michael Conlan (18-1) inside The SSE Arena (formerly known as the Odyssey Arena) in Belfast, North Ireland this Saturday, May 27. It will be Lopez’s maiden title defense after winning the belt in December 2022 over Josh Warrington.

Across the pond we go 🔥🏆#LopezConlan | MAY 27 | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/7QVxrGiFUG

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 22, 2023

“El Venado,” even with the golden strap and a 10-fight winning streak, is still the betting underdog in the boxing odds at +110 because the challenger, “Mick,” is the favorite to become the new IBF World Featherweight title holder at -125. Their professional record and backing of the home crowd may have influenced their roles in online sports betting.

Lopez already sustained two defeats in 29 pro bouts, dropping two decision losses in 2018 and 2019, while Conlan only absorbed one setback in 19 fights, a TKO stoppage in 2022. Additionally, the fight goes down on Conlan’s home turf in Northern Ireland, which means he will have the full support of his countrymen when he faces Lopez.

Luis Alberto Lopez Recent Fight Results

Luis Alberto Lopez made his professional debut in November 2015 by winning over Francisco Javier Grande Pacheco via a split decision. After this dream start to his career, he won nine straight bouts, including five TKO/KOs, to earn his first title opportunity in October 2017, where he faced Christian Bielma for the vacant Mexican Pacific Coast Super Featherweight title.

The boxer out of Mexicali, Mexico, seized the title by outpointing Bielma to capture the minor title. However, two fights later, in March 2018, Lopez yielded the Mexican Pacific Coast Super Featherweight title to Abraham Montoya in a close split decision.

Following this close loss, the 31-year-old picked up five successive wins over Marco Antonio Toledo (third-round knockout), Luis Cueto Hernandez (second-round TKO), Gregorio Torres (unanimous decision), Yahir Patino (fifth-round TKO), and Ray Ximenez (eighth-round technical decision), thus simultaneously winning the vacant WBO International Featherweight title. 

In May 2019, El Venado was pitted with Ruben Villa for the vacant WBO International Featherweight belt, but he fell short after Villa came away with a unanimous decision win. It was Lopez’s second career loss, and since then, he hasn’t tasted another defeat as he went on to win ten consecutive fights.

Lopez’s latest victory came at the expense of Josh Warrington in December 2022, where he scored an upset of the British champion with a majority decision result to snatch the IBF World Featherweight title. He pulled off the incredible win despite having a cut on his left eye in most of the match due to a head clash in the second round. 

This victory over Warrington has pushed Lopez’s name to popularity and helped his stock increase in the boxing community. The Mexican champion hopes to add Michael Conlan to his list of victims, score another upset win, and retain his IBF belt this Saturday.

All smiles for his first title defense 🏆#LopezConlan | MAY 27 | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/7kHu58B3NQ

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 22, 2023

Michael Conlan Recent Fight Results

Michael Conlan was an Irish boxing prospect when he turned professional in March 2017. He lived up to the early expectations by winning his first nine fights with six finishes, which became his ticket to punch his first championship match in December 2018 against Jason Cunningham for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Featherweight title.

Conlan picked up a unanimous decision win over Cunningham to win the WBO belt, thus instantly fending challenges from three challengers and retaining the title. Thanks to this streak, Mick fought TJ Doheny in August 2021 for the vacant WBA Interim World Featherweight title, and Conlan maximized the chance by beating Doheny unanimously.

In March 2022, the 29-year-old finally received his first major shot at a world title as he challenged Leigh Wood for the WBA World Featherweight. The two put up an absolute war inside the ring, with Wood engineering an incredible comeback as he was down in the judges’ scorecards heading into the last round; the defending champion took home the win with a 12th-round TKO finish to retain his title and give Conlan his first career loss.

The Belfast, North Ireland resident bounced back immediately with consecutive wins against Miguel Marriaga (unanimous decision in August 2022) and Karim Guerfi (first-round TKO in December 2022) to gain another title opportunity against Luis Alberto Lopez in front of his home fans in North Ireland as he looks to fulfill his championship dreams.

Put him flat on his back @MickConlan11 😮‍💨#LopezConlan | MAY 27 | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/uLGg43zMxz

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 22, 2023

Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Michael Conlan: Tale of the Tape

Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Michael Conlan: Fight Analysis

The tale of the tape sways in favor of the challenger Michael Conlan, who will enjoy four inches of height and two-and-a-half inches of reach advantage over the defending champion Luis Alberto Lopez. This is on top of his better record of 18 wins with only one loss compared to the Mexican’s 27 victories and two defeats.

Both are fighting in orthodox but have an opposite style as Lopez likes to engage in the close range due to his shorter reach, while Conlan utilizes every inch of his reach to fight in the long range. Another similar style for both boxers is their defensive scheme of not raising their guard up and instead relying heavily on their reflexes to evade punches from opponents.

The key for Lopez in this fight is to establish the pressure early by using his overhand right, left hooks, and body shots to force Conlan onto the ropes, where he can go all-out with his favorite combinations to the head and body. The defending champion must also put his hands up immediately at the tail-end of his punches to avoid a big counterpunch from the challenger.

On the other hand, Conlan should find his range early and maximize his jabs to keep Lopez at bay. Although it doesn’t reflect on his record, the Irish boxing star has great power in both hands and hurts his opponents when he finds a home for it. Additionally, he must avoid being cornered and time a perfect counter hook whenever his Mexican foe comes in. 

Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Michael Conlan: Date and Start Time

May 27, 2023, 2 p.m. PT

May 27, 2023, 4 p.m. CT

May 27, 2023, 5 p.m. ET

Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Michael Conlan: Fight Prediction

Official Prediction: Unanimous decision victory for Michael Conlan.

See the entire Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Michael Conlan odds and wagers here.