STWF Sports | Dec. 9, 2025 – Two Olympic standouts are on a collision course again—only this time, the setting won’t be Tokyo, and the stakes will be greater than gold. Arlen Lopez, the only man to defeat Ben Whittaker in their amateur days, believes the two are destined for another showdown, and he’s already warming to the idea of settling unfinished business in the professional ranks.
Lopez, the 32-year-old boxing craftsman from Cuba, owns a glittering amateur résumé highlighted by double Olympic gold medals and a lengthy track record against some of the world’s best. His tactical split-decision victory over Whittaker in the 2020 Tokyo final remains one of the defining fights of their generation. It broke the heart of British boxing fans and launched Lopez into the rare category of back-to-back Olympic champions. But the story, he insists, is not finished.
Friday in Doha, Lopez secured a points win over Turkey’s Bayram Malkan to advance in the IBA World Championships—still mixing amateur competition with his budding professional career. After the bout, his attention shifted to the man who still looms large on his journey.
“He [Whittaker] was one of those really talented amateur fighters who is now a talented professional,” Lopez said. “He’s really well-placed as a professional. He’s making great strides.”
It wasn’t trash talk. It was respect—spoken like one master technician recognizing another.
“We got the chance to face him in the Olympic final. We became friends outside of the ring,” Lopez explained. “We chat and look out for each other’s fights, given I’m a professional now, too.”
Lopez is 6-0 in the paid ranks, a quiet but impressive start. His unusual approach—balancing his pro rise while still competing in high-level amateur tournaments—reflects both Cuban discipline and a desire to develop in multiple arenas before chasing mega-fights on the world stage.
But the conversation always circles back to Whittaker.
The British standout has been blazing through the pro ranks since that emotional Tokyo loss. Now 10-0-1 after a blitzing first-round knockout of German opponent Benjamin Gavazi last month, Whittaker is emerging as one of the most marketable new faces in British boxing. Under Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom banner, his flashy ring presence and dazzling skillset have drawn attention without sacrificing substance.
Whittaker will fight across the pond again in March, with a summer headliner likely waiting back in the U.K. His trajectory is no longer theoretical—he is a star in the making.
Lopez sees the momentum, and he isn’t jealous. If anything, he’s excited.
“Not the Olympics this time, but I know we’ll meet on a new stage,” Lopez said. “We’ll show that quality we showed that day at the Olympics, and we’ll show that amateur boxing has just as much quality and maybe even more than professional boxing.”
In Lopez’s eyes, three rounds showcase brilliance. Twelve rounds reveal deep strategy. Both, he says, can produce greatness.
“Professional boxing is different. You have 10 or 12 rounds to have a long-term plan,” he noted. “So just give him his big chance. Congratulations, and we’ll keep following your fights, champ.”
It may be friendship. It may be respect. But underneath it all, it is rivalry—one steeped in history, mutual admiration, and the promise of a blockbuster rematch.
And the boxing world will welcome it.
