Juan Manuel Lopez is a free man.

The former two-division titlist saw a seven-count assault and abuse case dismissed without prejudice Wednesday morning in the Court of First Instance in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The locally-based Lopez was accused of aggravated assault plus physical and psychological abuse, stemming from four alleged incidents of gender violence against ex-girlfriend Andrea Ojeda Cruz who failed to report to court on consecutive days in ultimately leading to the dismissal.

Wednesday’s ruling also no longer requires Lopez to remain under electronic monitoring, as authorities were instructed to remove the ankle bracelet the boxer has been required to wear since last September.  

“I am pleased, but more than anything I want to apologize to Andrea's family for all this process they have gone through,” Lopez told local reporters after the court hearing. “Andrea is a great woman and I want to ask the general public to give her space because they have defamed her, they have pressured her. 

“The time has come for her to be able to [live her life].”

Lopez initially surrendered to authorities in his Caguas hometown last September 7 following public accusations and official charges filed by Ojeda, better known online as ‘La Peki.’ The story quickly made the rounds after Ojeda took to her personal Instagram page to reveal a series of photos and videos accusing Lopez of repeated physical and emotional abuse.

Ojeda alleged the acts of domestic violence were going on for years and often attributed to alcohol abuse.

“I left JuanMa because JuanMa is an abuser,” Ojeda stated on social media. “JuanMa is an abuser, he is an abusive man… a man who has issues with alcoholism. When JuanMa drinks… he turns into a person that is not himself.”

Lopez was previously charged with similar actions in 2015 with then-partner Geraldine Crespo.  The charges were dropped due to Crespo ultimately refusing to cooperate with authorities who sought to proceed with the case.

However, Ojeda’s decision to come forward prompted a similar accusation from another ex-girlfriend of Lopez. Marangely Lozada cited the boxer’s battles with alcoholism and aggression in citing psychological abuse, though not revealing any incidents of being physically harmed.

Lopez was formally charged one day later, at which point he was freed upon posting a $175,000 bond which came with instructions for his next court date. The terms of Lopez’s bail were violated after the boxer attempted to make contact with the alleged victim. He was required at that point to remain under electronic monitoring, along with a restraining order which remains in place through October.

Lopez faces up to eight years in prison should he violate the order of protection.

Any other charges against Lopez will have to be refiled once the prosecution is in position to once again proceed with its case. That dynamic was challenged this past January when Ojeda along with a previous cooperating witness were unable to be located. Two separate attempts to contact both parties were unsuccessful, along with Tuesday’s hearing delayed when Ojeda did not show up in court.

A request by the prosecution for a one-day delay was granted since there was already a court date scheduled for Wednesday, although ultimately producing the same result.

“It was the correct decision under the criminal procedure jurisdiction,” Jaime Barcelo, lead counsel for Lopez told reporters. “We look forward to this moment. 

“Since [last] September we have been waiting for an ending like the one we’ve had today.”

Lopez previously faced six counts of physical assault under the domestic violence statute, along with one separate count of psychological abuse. All seven charges were introduced during a probable cause hearing after prosecuting attorney Jaime Perea Mercado interviewed the victim. The prosecutor’s office claimed the boxer was in violation of Sections 3.1 (Abuse) and 3.3 (Abuse by Threat) of Puerto Rico’s Domestic Abuse Prevention and Intervention Act, commonly known as Law 54.

All seven charges were fourth-degree felonies, with Lopez having faced up to 21 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.

The legal process began to shift in Lopez’s favor after Ojeda became less and less cooperative with the prosecution’s case. Efforts to contact her via phone were unsuccessful as the number provided did not include an activated voice mail service. Back-to-back no-shows in court left the prosecution at the mercy of the court’s decision to dismiss charges without prejudice.

It is now, however, to be mistaken for the prosecution otherwise lacking evidence to initially proceed with the case.

”Andrea Ojeda was duly summoned by the court and the Public Ministry made the necessary arrangements for her to appear,” explained lead prosecutor Maritza Valero Ramirez. “I want to clarify that the Public Ministry does not file cases of domestic violence unless justice is done because it is not just any crime. 

“Today was the last day and the ruling in court was to dismiss the charges."

Lopez (36-6-1, 32KOs) has not fought since May 2019, having formally retired last March at the start of the pandemic. A member of the 2004 Puerto Rico Olympic team that competed in Athens, Lopez boxed pro on and off from 2004-2019, having won WBO titles at junior featherweight and featherweight. The well-schooled southpaw ran his record to 30-0 before running into Orlando Salido, suffering an eighth-round knockout in April 2011.

A rematch with Salido in March 2012 proved just as competitive though with a similar outcome, as Lopez was stopped in the tenth-round of their WBO featherweight title fight in San Juan. In an interview immediately after the fight, Lopez claimed the fight was prematurely stopped due to a vendetta held by Roberto Ramirez Sr. whom the boxer accused of having a gambling problem.

The harsh allegations resulted in Lopez being dealt a one-year suspension, though slightly reduced as he returned to the ring in February 2013. He was unable to recapture past glory by that point, winning just five of his final ten fights before his official retirement in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic when the uncertainty of when he could fight again left Lopez to simply walk away from the sport.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox