Marciano retired in 1955 with a 49-0 record after stopping Archie Moore in the ninth round of their heavyweight title fight. More than sixty years later, Mayweather surpassed that mark when he defeated Conor McGregor in August 2017 to improve his record to 50-0.
Lopez quietly finished his career with even more victories.
He built his reputation dominating the minimumweight division through the 1990s, holding versions of the WBC, WBO, and WBA titles before eventually moving up in weight.
The only blemish on his record came in September 1998 when Lopez defended his WBC minimumweight title against Nicaragua’s Rosendo Álvarez in Mexico City. Alvarez knocked Lopez down in the second round, while Lopez later benefited from a point deduction against his opponent for an accidental headbutt. The bout was stopped in the seventh round and ruled a technical draw.
Two months later, the rivals met again in Las Vegas. Lopez won a split decision in the rematch at the Hilton to keep his unbeaten record intact.
After ruling the minimumweight division for years, Lopez moved up and captured the IBF light flyweight title in October 1999 by defeating Will Grigsby in Las Vegas, becoming a world champion in a second weight class.
Late in his career, Lopez remained as sharp as ever. In December 2000, he stopped Thailand’s Anucha Phothong in eight rounds at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas to move to 50-0-1.
His final fight came the following year at Madison Square Garden, where he knocked out Zolani Petelo in eight rounds to close his career with a record of 51-0-1.
In 2007, Lopez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in recognition of a career that lasted more than a decade at the top of the lighter weight classes.
Fifty-one victories, no defeats, and dominance across two divisions. Few champions have left the sport with a record as complete as Ricardo “Finito” Lopez.
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