Hector Lopez Leaves Behind Two Young Sons

In a sad and ironic twist of fate, two young amateur fighters and their trainer both lost their fathers in the span of just five days.

Teen boxers Adam Lopez, 15, and Hector Lopez, 17, are the sons of former NABF and WBO NABO Light Welterweight Champion Hector Lopez, who died on October 24 from heart failure. “The doctor said it was a heart attack, heart failure,” his former wife, Norma Lopez, told me in a conversation today. “Hector was an awesome person–and we still had a strong tie because of the boys.”

Their boys, the boxing brothers, fight out of the Burbank Boxing Club, founded by head coach Steve Harpst, whose own father, Howard Harpst, died on October 29 from pneumonia.

A trio rocked by their devastating loss. Emotionally battered, bruised and heartbroken.

But they are not down for the count. Like any good prizefighter worth their weight, the Lopez boys and Harpst are slowly rebounding on that long and rocky road toward healing. After all, they are boxers. Knocked down, forced to get up and fight.

I have known the kids for a few years now and have watched them compete many times; both won their last bouts at recent local shows. Ironically, Adam and Hector, Harpst and co-trainer David Lopez were all getting ready for an amateur show with Antonio Diaz and the Indio Boys & Girls Club on October 30 before the dual tragedies hit. So instead of lacing up at the USA Boxing show, the Lopez brothers were in Mexico mourning their dad while Harpst was in Tucson coping with his own father’s passing.

Broken bonds and broken hearts.

It all started with a simple phone call.

Back on that fateful Monday, October 24, trainer Harpst put in a call to the kids’ mother, Norma Lopez, to touch base about that upcoming show in Palm Springs. When she answered, Lopez was sobbing uncontrollably and unbeknownst to Steve, Norma had just learned of her former husband’s passing in Mexico City. As the news of Lopez’s death spread, friends and family rallied behind them as they traveled to Mexico for several days.

For Harpst, boxing trainer and sculptor of sports bronzes, his own hook to the liver came the following Saturday afternoon. After a longtime battle with diabetes and a recent diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), his father died of pneumonia in Tucson, Arizona, leaving behind his wife of 53 years, Patty and his son, Steve.

It was a one-two punch for this pair of grieving families.

Just a scant five months ago, it was a very different scenario.

This past May, they had all traveled to Tucson for a special amateur show in the desert where Adam Lopez shined in his action-packed bout. During this same trip, trainer Harpst took time to visit his father, who was in the hospital at the time. “I wish my dad could’ve come out to see the kids fight at this amateur show,” Steve remembers of that Memorial Day weekend. While he wasn’t ever a boxer himself, Howard had courage in his veins. He was a champion rodeo rider, firefighter, longtime Navy man, among many other things. He also shared his son’s love of boxing; Harpst says one of his highlights was having his dad ringside when Steve received a Tucson Achievement Award at a “Battle of the Badges” event a couple of years ago.

In the middle of the last Tucson trip, I joined Team LA the night of Adam Lopez’s victory. His teammates Jesse Villanueva and Damien Lopez also fought and Hector Jr. was there rooting them on too. Adam was especially proud of the trunks he wore in the ring that afternoon. With his slender build of 118, the boy had finally grown into his father’s vintage leopard-print boxing trunks and was excited to carry on that legacy.

Chatting with the Lopez kids, it was apparent how much they both looked up to their champion father. The bros told me about watching his past bouts, and lit up when they mentioned they would soon be going to Mexico for their annual summer visit with their dad. Sitting by the pool in the nighttime heat of Tucson, Hector Jr. even showed me photos and video on his phone of his last trip with their father. In the pictures, I saw a loving father who took pride in his two young sons.

Both Adam and Hector, who are a close-knit duo, have chosen their dad’s same passion for the sweet science. Both resemble the patriarch in their likeness–in and out of the ring. At one of the shows earlier this year in South El Monte, I had the kids pose beneath a fight poster of their dad. They took pride in their famous father but with the common last name of Lopez not everybody in the amateur circuit knew they were the sons of Hector “Torero” Lopez, who was only 44 when he died. “Hurricane” Lopez was a 1984 silver medalist in the Olympics who later amassed a record of 41-7-1 with 23 KOs as a pro. He fought for a world title three times during his career; Lopez lived his remaining years in Mexico. But he always stayed close to boxing and was even training female boxers for the 2012 Olympics.

“I met Hector briefly at the Forum years ago,” Steve tells me. “He was really a sensational fighter who captured the hearts of fans everywhere.”

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Or in this case, the apples of Lopez’s eyes were in his two offspring.

“His boys have so much talent and drive! They wanted to follow their father’s footsteps in the ring,” Harpst comments “They idolized their dad and really looked forward to visiting him every summer.”

The boxing trainer recalls an incident that occurred in the gym, just a few days before Hector Lopez Sr. passed away.

“The boys came in with new tattoos,” Steve says with a laugh. “Their mom had called looking for them and it turns out they had gone off to get the tattoos done!” In hindsight, Adam’s new ink, in particular, is especially bittersweet. The boy had his father’s favorite saying etched into his arm, “I’D RATHER DIE ON MY FEET THAN LIVE ON MY KNEES.” This motto–attributed to the Mexican Revolution’s Emiliano Zapata–was how Hector Sr. lived.

Born in Mexico but raised in Glendale, Hector Sr. was well-known in the SoCal boxing scene. Lopez was a popular draw at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood and also fought at the famed Olympic Auditiorium. Since his death, many have relayed their poignant memories and humorous anecdotes about the fierce slugger, who they said fought against powerful demons for much of his life.

One close friend also holds the distinction of being the very last opponent Lopez faced inside the ropes. Hector scored a TKO victory over Jerry “Whiteboy” Rosenberg back in 2000. The two remained friends before and after their clash in the ring. Right after we all heard the news about Lopez’s death, I spoke to Jerry who couldn’t conceal his raw emotion in losing his compadre and fellow fighter.

“I’m devastated. I can’t believe it,” Jerry told me. “I’ve known him since 1985; we’ve been friends for over 25 years!”

Rosenberg, who trains fighters out of his Tru Boxing Gym, said he spoke to Hector often and also occasionally took Adam and Hector Jr. to spar. Jerry says Lopez Sr. was so proud of the kids. Rosenberg tells me a funny story about one of the boys sparring with an older fighter who already owns championship titles. Some thought the Lopez kids were too young to go against any pro champ, so Jerry called their dad to make sure this was all kosher.

“Hector said he was fine with it,” the “Jewish Bomber” Rosenberg remembers with a chuckle. “He just said, ‘But if they’re gonna spar with him, just make sure they kick his f******* ass!” Jerry laughs again at the thought.

“So he was a real bad ass, wasn’t he?” I ask in regards to the ex-junior welterweight known for his bald head, thick moustache, a multitude of tattoos and a steely gaze.

“He was a SUPER BAD ASS!” Jerry exclaims. “He was the best. If he was your friend, he’d give you the shirt off his back! BUT if you weren’t his friend…watch out!” He utters a small laugh.

Rosenberg then gets choked up and his voice trails off. “I gotta go,” he says abruptly, “I just can’t talk anymore.”

Gone too soon is his friend, Hector Lopez. And soon his family and friends will say goodbye to the Mexican warrior in a weekend memorial service hosted by the Lopez family.

Trainer Harpst will be there lending support to Adam and Hector Jr. Both boys are on the cusp of adulthood–robbed too early of their father, the innocence of their youth forever tainted.

But the teenagers will have a strong safety net surrounding them. While they will no doubt long for the sturdy embrace of their macho father, their mother Norma and her family will continue to give the kids the love and support they will need. I have been at many amateur shows and have witnessed all of the Gomez/Lopez clan coming out to cheer on the kids. Norma has done a bang-up job raising the boys and everybody has faith that Adam and Hector will find healing in time.

Will they continue their quest to become prizefighters like their fallen father?

“I hope they come back with a fervor–as a tribute to their father,” trainer Harpst shares. “But if they don’t fight anymore, we will support anything they do. They are great kids. And whatever it is they decide to do, I’m sure their father would be proud of both of them.”

After Lopez’s passing, his longtime friends reminisced about the Hector they knew–the outrageous, crazy, funny–and fun–guy they knew from decades past before his personal issues made headlines they all told me as the tragic news spread. As a person and as a fighter, they all say he was one of a kind.

Whatever he was–or wasn’t–one thing remains clear: he will remain a hero to his two teenage sons.

They are the next generation of “Hurricane” Lopez. They have his championship genes.

And maybe they can ease a bit of their pain, sorrow and frustration by pounding on a heavybag. Perhaps they may find brief moments of solace when they slip their hands into well-worn boxing gloves, the same tools of the trade their beloved father remained passionate about.

As Adam and Hector Lopez and Steve Harpst all deal with the hurt and pain of losing their fathers, boxing could be their salvation–at least for a couple of hours. While they have been reeling through a flood of raw emotions in the last three weeks, the boxers and trainer are slowly inching their way back from the shocking sting of their loss.

This week, Steve and Lopez Jr. reconnected at the boxing gym, the first time seeing each other since their fathers’ deaths. Harpst had just gotten back from his dad Howard’s memorial service and military burial. Upon his return, he was surprised and happy to see 17-year-old Hector enter the gym on Monday. And just last night, the trainer welcomed 15-year-old Adam back into the mix as the younger sibling made his way into the gym–his first time back too.

Not a whole lot needed to be said between the young men and the trainer. With one look and a fist bump, Steve knew exactly what each boy was feeling. The three will always share an unenviable bond of losing their dads during the very same week.

“As painful as it is, the memories they have of their father will last forever,” Coach Harpst says knowingly.

Adam and Hector will be forever linked to their father and champion, Hector “Torero” Lopez.

And that is one bond that can never be broken.

RIP Hector Lopez: February 1, 1967–October 24, 2011

RIP Howard Harpst: October 22, 1932–October 29, 2011

Photos by Michele Chong, David Lopez and Ray Flores