Najee Lopez can thank Edgar Berlanga, in part, for his career growth

JAMESTOWN, Calif. – Light heavyweight Najee Lopez has what it takes to be something special, according to his coach, Marc Farrait. And Farrait should know. He trains super middleweight Edgar Berlanga.

Lopez most recently knocked out Lenin Castillo in the sixth round on January 24 at the ProBox TV Events Center in Plant City, Florida.

A 25-year-old Puerto Rican fighter from Atlanta, Lopez is an emerging name in a division in need of some young talent. Farrait has seen his share of great fighters, so when he pays a compliment to Lopez, it speaks to the potential he sees in him.

“He has the makings of a superstar,” Farrait told BoxingScene. “From my mouth to God’s ear, he works very hard.”

Lopez is currently 13-0 (10 KOs). His stoppage of Castilio, 25-7-1 (19 KOs), a 36-year-old Dominican fighter based out of Miami, put him into the conversation to be moved up in the rankings. Castillo has served as a fringe contender and gatekeeper after his losses to former titleholder Dmitry Bivol and Callum Smith.

“I think Najee is in a good position to show what he can do,” Farrait said. “He just fought a tough veteran and made it look pretty easy.”

Farrait credits Berlanga being in the gym with Lopez for helping him grow as a fighter. He sees it as a succession of sorts. Berlanga had to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to make his bones at the highest level. Alvarez fought Floyd Mayweather Jnr to take the next step. Farrait views Lopez being in the gym with Berlanga as his evolution as a fighter and a gearing up for title fights in the not-so-distant future. 

“Najee is learning from Belanga,” Farrait said. “It’s just the growth.”

For Lopez, though, that fighting spirit was likely already in place before Berlanga ever showed up on the scene.

“Najee is really mean,” Farrait said. “I don’t want to go into details, but I can’t have him spar with his brother anymore.”

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @LukieBoxing.