Adam Lopez can appreciate everything his father taught him about boxing, especially inside the ring. He has had to deal with a few bumps over the last couple of years to fully understand the business side of the sport.

Now that he is backed by a major promoter, a management company, and a top trainer, Lopez believes the sky is the limit.

Lopez believes he can become a legit contender at 126 pounds, but first must get past Luis Coria tonight at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 10-round bout will kick off an ESPN telecast (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).

At Wednesday’s weigh-in, Lopez weighed in at 125.8 pounds. Coria weighed 124.7 pounds.

Lopez (13-2, 6 knockouts), who resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, was scheduled to fight Coria on November 30, but accepted a fight on a day’s notice against former WBO featherweight titleholder and current junior lightweight contender Oscar Valdez after opponent Andres Gutierrez weighed 11 pounds above the contract weight. Lopez dropped Valdez in round 2, but was stopped later in the fight.

Despite the loss, Lopez is riding the momentum of the performance, especially since he is fighting at his natural weight. He will square off against Coria (12-2, 7 KOs), who resides in Moreno Valley, California and is trained by Robert Garcia. He is confident he will get the job done tonight at the expense of Coria.

“This fight (against Coria) is more important than my last fight,” Lopez told Boxingscene over the phone earlier this week. “People feel I got lucky when I fought Oscar Valdez. It was a great fight and I did more than hold my own. There’s levels to this game and I’ve been in the ring with the better opposition than Coria. I’m going to shine and let my experience do the work.”

Prior to the Valdez fight, Lopez had a gut-check type of fight six months prior against Jean Carlos Rivera, who was the favorite going in to that fight. Lopez had to overcome a knockdown early in the fight, recovered and broke Rivera down to win by knockout in round 7.

Lopez believes that fight was a turning point in his career.

“That was my toughest fight,” said Lopez, who has been trained by James ‘Buddy’ McGirt since his fourth fight. “It was the first time I’ve been dropped in a fight as a pro. Everything was in his favor as he was fighting (near) his hometown (of Orlando, Florida). I was able to survive the round when I got knocked down, I made adjustments, and I showed a lot of heart. The fight tested me and I was able to and expose my weaknesses, which we can work on.”

Lopez had won his previous five bouts since losing by majority-decision to unbeaten contender Stephen Fulton in December 2017.

“That was a great learning experience for me. I respect Stephen a lot. It was my biggest fight to date and I felt I overtrained. I should’ve treated that fight like any other. I should’ve listened to my body and trained smarter and not harder. It was a lesson learned.”

There are several lessons Lopez has learned over the last couple of years, especially when it comes to the business side of boxing. Lopez had a handful of fights under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner and, while his only loss was to Fulton, believed the company did not have the best intentions for him.

Lopez also thought his management did not put him in fights that would allow him, a prospect at the time, to develop.

“I didn’t know much about the sport, other than what I saw with my Dad. Early on, I faced the toughest opposition and I wasn’t paid well. My former manager painted a pretty picture, but I was facing unbeaten fighters or those in their hometowns. I was fighting Al Haymon’s kids. After the loss to Fulton, I built my record back up on club shows. Buddy was a great person to get advice from and he made me open my eyes a lot. In fact, he reached out to Top Rank to have them to take a look at me. The rest is history.”

Lopez, who is now managed by Sheer Management, signed a promotional contract with Top Rank after his decision victory over Hector Ambriz Suarez in October 2018.

The 24-year-old Lopez is the son of Hector Lopez, who was a former contender during the 1990s and passed away in 2011. Lopez still holds onto the advice his father gave him, whether it is about boxing or life in general.

While he does miss his father, Lopez is grateful for McGirt and the education he receives during training camp.

“Everything was natural to my Dad and so everything is natural to me. Even as I began to box, everything felt so right with the sport. Whether it was unorthodox in the ring, it felt right. It worked for my Dad, so he gave me that aspect of the sport. Buddy teaches me the fundamentals of the sport. Because of him, I understand range. At the same time, my Dad’s influence of relentless control will always be with me.”

Lopez believes an impressive victory tonight over Coria could put him in a position for a big fight later this year against any of the top contenders at 126 pounds.

“I believe I’m right where I want to be. Maybe I can face a former champion or someone in the top-10 in my next fight.”

“I think a great match-up against the likes of Jessie Magdaleno, Michael Conlan, Isaac Dogboe or any top-level fighter would not only benefit me, but could show I’m able to do well in this division.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing