"People will soon mention me with the likes of Oleksandr Usyk and Evander Holyfield,” said Najee Lopez from Ellenwood, Georgia after his second pro bout, on November 19, 2021. "I’m coming fast and hard at cruiserweight.”
That’s a high bar the fighter from Atlanta, Georgia set for himself. People who have seen him in action, though, haven’t scoffed at the notion that his skills could bring him to Hall of Fame heights.
Now 5-0, with 5 KOs, the long and strong righty has made smart adjustments as he acclimates to the professional realm. Among them is this—Najee Lopez is now aiming to make a mark in the light heavyweight division.
One massive adjustment came about because he lost his guiding light, father Tito Lopez. The Puerto Rican native believed Najee could excel and attract fans to the fight scene in Georgia. On December 12, 2020, Tito passed away, at age 54, leaving Najee and brothers Hakim and Casey to navigate as pros without his instruction.
Judging by the assessments from ProBox analysts Roy Jones Jr, Antonio Tarver and Paul Malignaggi, Najee is handling the heart-break as well as could be. He smoothly dealt with 30 fight vet Alex Theran in his third bout, stealing the Feb. 25, 2022 show at the ProBox Event Center in Plant City, Florida with a TKO2 effort. “To look that poised, that collected,” Tarver enthused. “He looked like a savvy veteran,” Malignaggi noted after the triumph.
Najee broke down hard headed Anthony Stewart in round four one month later, in Plant City. “Too much talent, too much skill, too much of everything,” Tarver summarized.
On June 24, 2022, Najee met Jeysson Monroy, who had extensive amateur experience and came to Kissimmee, Florida intent on tripping up the future star. Didn’t happen.
This win came with a positive asterisk, being that Najee’s mom sat ringside watching him ply his trade. After dropping Monroy with a laser right counter in round two, Najee went to the neutral corner, and looked at his mom, Daphne. She’d never seen him in action, live, not as an amateur, not as a pro.
And what was her assessment? As the ref raised Najee’s hand, no words were needed. Mom’s ear to ear smile said it all.