By: Sean Crose
Well known former multi-titlist Juan Manuel Lopez was arrested in Puerto Rico this week after his ex-girlfriend, Andrea Ojeda, accused him of brutal violence. Turning himself into authorities in Caguas Tuesday, Lopez was charged with over five counts of abuse and assault on Wednesday. “You are going to see it because I am going to post it,’ Ojeda said on social media as she shared images of herself with a badly battered face. “I have been keeping quiet for a long time,” Ojeda stated, before adding she had “left Juanma because he is an abuser.” According to Ojeda, at least some of Lopez’ problems stem from the bottle. “He has alcoholism problems,” she said of the now 38 year old Lopez, who retired last winter.
Ojeda argued she kept quiet about the matter out of respect to Lopez’ children, even though she isn’t their mother. ‘I cried and cried and did not report him thinking about his children,” she said, “thinking about not hurting him publicly, thinking about what was coming next, but it’s over.” Lopez was also in trouble for abuse when he was charged by Geraldine Crespo less than a decade ago, though Crespo eventually decided not to pursue matters. Should he be convicted of all charges, Lopez can do over two decades in prison.
Lopez had an illustrious, if ultimately uneven, career which saw him win world titles at junior featherweight and featherweight respectively. Indeed, the man didn’t lose a match until his 31st fight, when he was stopped by Orlando Salido in 2011. Although he lost major battles, Lopez faced up against such notables as Mikey Garcia and Daniel Ponce De Leon. His final record was 43-6 in a career that lasted close to fifteen years. It appears, however, that the man’s greatest battle lies ahead. He will be in court for a preliminary hearing on the 21st of this month. He has been released from custody on a $175,000 bond,
The Daily Mail reports Ojeda “is also known as La Pekistana and hosts an entertainment show on YouTube.” According to the Mail, Ojeda claims Lopez’ violence towards her led to her taking “a two month break from social media after he gave her a black eye.” Ojeda claims Lopez engaged in a variety of highly abusive acts. “Juanma has hit me,” she said, “he has choked me, he has squeezed my private part.” Although it’s unclear how long Lopez and Ojeda had been together, it’s reported the fighter was previously married to Bárbara De Jesús .
