Najee Lopez ready to continue the journey he started with his father against Castillo

Light heavyweight Najee Lopez lost his father and only recently has his love for boxing been renewed. 

Lopez faces Gilbert “Lenin” Castillo on Friday at the ProBox TV Events Center near Tampa, Florida. The bout will stream on the ProBox TV app and ProBox TV’s YouTube channel and it represents Lopez’s first main event. 

Lopez, 25, is originally from Atlanta, but trains in Florida with Marc Farrait. He turned professional in 2021 and has been building, but the next step is an eliminator or a shot at some silverware. But the loss of his dad, Tito,  has weighed heavily on him.

“My father didn’t get to see me get to where I am,” Lopez said. “I just want to make sure I do right by him. I definitely lost my love for the sport after my dad’s death. I feel I’ve got the love back. Actually, my love for the sport has grown since my dad’s passing.”

Lopez, who amazed many at the 2020 Last Chance Olympic Qualifiers, was a man on a mission. He had to contribute to coming up with the funds to travel to that tournament. He had already lost to the now-2024 U.S. Olympian, Joshua Edwards, in the first round of the Eastern Olympic Trial Qualifiers. When he went to Oxnard, California for the Last Chance Tournament, Lopez was looking to prove something. 

“That whole tournament I had a chip on my shoulder. I wanted a win for my father,” Lopez said, who had shared a hotel room with his dad through the tournament.

Lopez stopped three of his four opponents in the tournament before beating Darius Fulghum in the finals via unanimous decision. After being unable to fight for a second time, as part of the double-elimination process of the Olympic trials, Lopez was ready to embark on his professional career. The pandemic delayed that and Lopez lost his father in December 2020. He admits the passion for the sport only recently came back.

“I can’t put a time on when and where my love for boxing came back,” Lopez said. “ProBox, Garry [Jonas], my brother, and especially coach Marc helped me find my way back.”

Lopez credits a strong foundation including his brother, DJ Newsom, his head trainer Farrait, and ProBox TV’s Jonas for contributing to rekindling his passion for the sport. Now, Lopez is back in a familiar spot, with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. 

Lopez is 12-0 (9 KOs), while Castillo’s record of 25-6-1 (19 KOs). Castillo has gone the distance with former titleholder Dmitry Bivol and has only been stopped once, by Callum Smith. Castillo, 36, a Dominican fighter training out of Florida, gave Juan Carrillo an honest fight in October winning a 10-round unanimous decision. 

“I’m super-excited, especially since my whole career has been on ProBox TV,” Lopez said. “They’ve been building me this whole time, so it is part of the journey – just another step toward becoming a world champion.”