Mario Lopez thought his fights were, like, secret

  • Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 2:39 pm by Neal Taflinger
Photo by Joan Allen, courtesy of Deardoctor.com.

Photo by Joan Allen, courtesy of Deardoctor.com.

I got Mario Lopez on the phone for a few minutes this morning on a totally unrelated matter but took advantage of my opportunity to talk to him about his work for EliteXC and his boxing.

FIGHT! Magazine: You did some cageside reporting for [mixed martial arts promotion] EliteXC, is that something that you’d be interested in doing again?
Mario Lopez: I’m a big fight fan. I try to be as diverse as possible, I grew up boxing and wrestling and I do more stuff for HBO, I worked the Hatton vs. Pacquiao fight, I did the international feed and I like MMA as well. The problem is that I was working in Canada at the time and it was killin’ me to come back and forth but hopefully that’s something I can do more of in the future.

FM: I just watched video of your smoker from a couple years back at Wild Card [boxing gym in Los Angeles]. Are you still training with Freddie Roach?
ML: Where’d you see that at?

FM: The power of Google, man.
ML: How’d I look that night?

FM: You were more of a slugger than I was expecting, you kind of wrecked that dude with overhand rights.
ML: I’d like to think that I’ve improved since then. [laughs] I used to think that was kind of underground stuff but now that you can see it online I hope my bosses don’t find out. [laughs]

FM: Did you get much pushback from management or people you were working for who were afraid you’d end up looking like a Hispanic Mickey Rourke?
ML: I didn’t really tell anybody. They know I liked to box but they didn’t know I liked to get in there and spar and compete in fights. [The smoker] was one of those low-key things. I hurt my hand, actually, as we speak, sparring.

FM: Is that weird, the dichotomy of being the middle American housewife’s heartthrob and then mixing it up in the gym?
ML: People don’t expect it and the last thing [boxers] want to do is lose to some kid, right, from Hollywood. I’ve earned everyone’s respect there and I’ve been going there for years now. I work with all the guys, all the pros, and I think I’m a fighter at heart. I like to mix it up, it’s very therapeutic for me. Some guys like to play softball, some guys play in a basketball league, I like to fight.

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5 Responses to “Mario Lopez thought his fights were, like, secret”

  1. MikeV says:
    May 15, 2009 at 5:40 pm

    Fight is the best magazine in the MMA business! Hands Down. But honestly, really? Are you serious with this? Mario might be a “great” boxer however the video I believe you’re referring to is a Joke. Looks like they picked up a guy off the line for Jay Leno tickets.

  2. Eli B. says:
    May 15, 2009 at 7:01 pm

    Huge Saved By the Bell fan, and I think this actually makes being a Saved By the Bell fan a little less embarrasing, hah

  3. KTFO says:
    May 15, 2009 at 11:51 pm

    Go A.C., someday you’ll kick that preppies ass!

  4. Neal Taflinger says:
    May 16, 2009 at 9:10 am

    No one said he was a great boxer, Mike, and honestly, his willingness to fight anyone in a smoker or amateur boxing match seperates him from most people who never test themselves at all, personally, professionally, or athletically. Thanks for reading!

  5. Dante says:
    May 16, 2009 at 6:59 pm

    Watch this video and tell me Lopez isn’t the fucking truth…

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