Dragon Fruit

Mario Lopez is fighting, literally, to change his image

LOS ANGELES - Mario Lopez is sweating. And panting. And if you look carefully, grimacing. </ P> As it is in the corner of a boxing ring waiting for the bell to mark the next round, the "Extra" host nervously waves in a pair of loose trunks that make her legs look even shorter more compressed. Crest-commercial smile, it flashes for distributing celebrity palaver for the benefit of a syndicated public television is absent. In fact, Lopez's mouth is almost closed, the only thing visible through her pursed lips are just a mouth guard spotted with blood.</ P> The lights shine harshly, as they do on "Extra" set. But this time there are no guests topped with jokes, no squealing fans to sign autographs for, no army of assistants to run out for one of his favorite meal, a mixture of calorie conscious and sashimi lawyer. It's just another man in the ring, and he did not look happy. </ P> Jimmy Lange, a professional middleweight, stands diagonal Lopez, jumping for sure from side to side and relaxation in the muscles of his neck the way to professional boxers.Lange has won 35 of his 40 professional fights, over two thirds of them by knockout. It does not seem to know who is Lopez. It does not seem to care. </ P> It is a fight in a charity wealth ring, inside the Beverly Hilton ballroom. For Lopez, however, it might as well be a championship card at the MGM Grand. All around the ring of people sitting there desperately trying to impress - well-known promoters boxing, and trainers, and even veterans, people like Jake LaMotta, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini and Micky Ward, the welterweight recently made famous by Mark Wahlberg in the movie "The Fighter."The setting does not reduce the pain of haymakers Lange. </ P> The bell rings. Charges Lopez, get in a few jabs at Lange's chest. The pro fighter are tolerated for a moment and then in the let's-get-it-on with the way Harrison Ford pulls a pistol on the swordfight in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," winds to a punishing right hook. His fist land exactly between the cheek and Lopez the jaw. the actor's neck snaps back like a toy spring. </ p> There are several ways of Hollywood pretty boy can have fun.Getting into the ring with fighters for pro reinvent yourself as a boxer, as Lopez made, seems perhaps the least pleasant </ p> Pretty much since he has shaken teens' hearts playing AC Slater -. Mulleted the, Army Brat dressed in garish early 90 camps-hit "Saved by the Bell" - Mario Lopez has been ambivalent about his fame. He knew he was attracting a largely female fans who appreciated his harmless looks good and the charm of cheese. It was not entirely a bad thing. It was a meal ticket to Hollywood, and he did find a girlfriend a lot easier.But the image did not fit teenybopper roots of the working class or the high background control school. And it did not fit the serious player, he believed he could be. </ P> "I'm not stupid. I knew that my audience is mostly women," said Lopez. "But I wanted people to see another side of me that I wanted people to see another side of me .." </ P> After "Saved" and its spin-off "Saved by the Bell: The years of college, "came to an end, Lopez began an odyssey of career. He starred in a horror film entitled "A crack in the ground." He did an arc on "Nip / Tuck."He even took the lead role in a biopic on gay television Olympic diver Greg Louganis, he thought he would not win Emmys him, but he hopes in America, finally taking him seriously </ p> This n ' has not worked.. America's favorite smile, dimpled Mario Lopez </ p> While Lopez has developed a different profile: .. as a purveyor of fiction entertainment on a budget, it can come off as comfortable in an empty sort of way a sort of poor man Ryan Seacrest, and that the call has assured him a very profitable niche.Turn on the TV and most weekdays, you will not have to wait long to see Lopez, somewhere - on "Extra" on MTV shows "the crew of the America Best Dance" and "MTV Group Top Pop ". Switch on TV and oriented Latin If it is again co-organizing a program of meetings. This season he will host "H8R" a reality show on the CW tabloid personalities confront their enemies </ p> There is hardly a beauty contest, it has not presided -. "Miss America", "Miss Universe , "" Miss Teen USA."And of course there are" Dancing With the Stars, "on which he quickstepped to the final in 2006. </ P> But Lopez believes he fell into the job hosting the way a good person could wind up with numbers accountant. He has a passion that goes beyond job Hollywood. Boxing </ p> a strong supporter of boxing (he called Oscar de la Hoya a friend and do TV commentary for some pro fights), Lopez had boxing training for many years. But he had recently started his game, trying to actual episodes.And last year, a friend of long standing named Bert Marcus had an idea: Lopez should let people see in a light combat </ p> Marcus, 29, is a documentary going back and forth - he Adrian Grenier product. "Paparazzo teenagers" - and a showman motor mouth that could come from the boxing world. (Even his name seems correct.) </ P> "Here's what I told Mario. I said, 'You have to do a documentary. You have to show people a different side of who you are, "Marcus said." I mean, Mario is a charming guy, but there is also a gritty guy.Many of them are celebrity golf tournaments. It is not all that. "</ P> The actor hesitated at first." Boxing is one of the few things I do alone, "he recalls." I go to church alone, and I go to. Gym (boxing) alone "Yet the idea has held a Lopez appeal had already tried to reinvent itself with the public in another way as a man of -. -. signing for a family reality show with his girlfriend Courtney Mazza VH1 on their impending parenthood But these efforts rarely helped a permanent celebrity.(Indeed, when the show "Saved by the baby," was finally released, Lopez came out as if it prompted hammy at Gawker snark "Of course, Mario Lopez now has a show called" Saved by the baby, but who save the baby from Mario Lopez? ") A documentary boxing, Marcus argued, could restore the public image of Lopez. </ p> So the two began to travel the world of boxing. They dragged the gym Hollywood Manny Pacquiao, interviewed the fight against aficionados like Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke to boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard and looked for actors who played the boxers, like Denzel Washington and Wahlberg.Marcus Lopez fire working as it took grueling and trained daily in the gym, "Rocky" style. The idea was to provide a window into the world of boxing through his lights, and the quest for Lopez to join them. </ P> "Mario is a perfect vehicle. No one would think of Mario Lopez's documentary on boxing," said Marcus. "But Mario eats, drinks and breathes boxing. And I could use to break people's expectations. "Marcus is just finishing the changes to his film and is close to a distribution agreement.</ P> </ p> In pictures that will be included in the film not yet untitled, people like Leonard and Washington describe the ability of boxing to clear socio-economic lines. They also say that sport plays the underdog mentality fostered by the people in competitive areas like acting. </ P> "My whole life, I am a child of Mexican Chula Vista, and was told that I could not do in Hollywood," said Lopez. "Even on" Saved by the Bell. " "You are too ethnic, you have blond hair and blue eyes." He pauses. "Boxing has made me a man.You are completely naked when you do. "</ P> The actor is sitting in his trailer on the" Extra "a lot of about six weeks after the fight Lange (judges, incidentally, declared a draw). The trailer is a luxurious, wood-trimmed rustic, a black leather sofa and a kitchen full of elegant bottles of premium alcohol. adorning the walls are boxing gloves, magazine covers and crosses. boxing and religion are everywhere, even in the bathroom, which has more wall accoutrements. </ p> Sports, Lopez said, was the formation of character."It's helped my confidence," then, in a moment of self-awareness, "Not that I missed for that." </ P> To date, he won six fights its officials. He recognizes that they are amateur fights. "But here's the thing," he said. "These guys give me their best. Because, really, who wants to be beaten by a boy of Hollywood? "</ P> For all the appeal of boxing as a sport, we also get the feeling that Lopez is seen in a special message of encouragement. reality TV is evanescent, one minute of a star is often gone tomorrow.Boxing but no one is ever really over the hill. Evander Holyfield won a title 47. George Foreman retired and unretired so many times he made Brett Favre seem decisive. </ P> "You know what Bernard Hopkins did?" Lopez said, referring to animated as light heavyweight title win last month at 46. "They said he was too old, and everyone was younger and faster. But Hopkins was smarter." </ P> Leonard said investigators for the film because it meets Lopez passion "he has for the sport (is), unlike any other actor I've seen.To step into the ring when you do not have to risk injury and he is doing is incredible. "</ P> Other <p> near Lopez, however, were less enthusiastic, pointing out how boxing has taken a toll. Actors like Mickey Rourke manager and Lopez" Extra "Producers have repeatedly warned that boxing can ruin their most valuable asset -. face </ p> "Every time he goes in the ring, I say it's going to blink Moneymaker, and my sight before my eyes," "Extra" senior executive producer Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey said.</ P> The problem is not entirely misplaced. During sparring time, an errant elbow opened a gash in the head of Lopez. He went to the hospital, where doctors told him he needed nine staples. But when they said his head would need to be shaved for the procedure, Lopez had to do it in a different way - he had to take "Extra" the next morning.

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