AVILA, LOPEZ TAKE LONG, BUMPY DETOURS TO MATCHUP.

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Daily News Staff Writer

For Johnny Avila and Hector Lopez, boxing has been about missed opportunities. And second chances.

Avila, of Palmdale, had his shot at glory on Dec. 10, 1994, when he gave Oscar De La Hoya one of his toughest fights but lost. Clearly disappointed, Avila walked away from boxing for 15 months, indulging his thirst for the nightlife while deciding whether boxing was for him.

Lopez, also from Palmdale, lost two world-title fights - to Miguel Angel Gonzalez in 1993 and Sammy Fuentes last year. After the latter bout, he tested positive for marijuana and was suspended for a year in Nevada, which meant he couldn't box in the United States.

He considered retirement but instead went to Australia to fight in relative obscurity.

Today, both fighters are back and swear their wasteful behavior is behind them. They face each other in the 140-pound main event Saturday at the Forum.

``Yeah, I'm back all right,'' said Avila, his face suddenly dominated by a wide grin. ``And it feels gooooood.''

Avila, now 23, was one in a series of hand-picked opponents for De La Hoya. He had a good record at the time - 20-1-1 - but wasn't considered a threat for lack of a big punch or the skills to cope with the gifted Olympic champion.

However, Avila gave a creditable performance. He stunned De La Hoya with a straight right in the seventh round - one of the biggest punches De La Hoya has ever taken. But, cut in two places, Avila survived only two more rounds.

A rare chance to become an instant star - and make an instant fortune - was

gone. And it hurt.

``Yeah, I was discouraged,'' he said. ``It got me down, definitely. The thing is, I could've beat Oscar. I was supposed to beat Oscar. I don't like this coulda, woulda, shoulda stuff, though. I don't even want to say it.

``I just felt like I let my family down; I let a lot of people down.''

Tired of boxing, he said, he walked away to ``have some fun'' with the $50,000 he made for the De La Hoya fight. And fun meant partying and women, which remain so tempting that he lives primarily with his mother in Arlington, Texas, away from his friends.

Ultimately, as time (and the money) went by, he realized what he had in boxing - a means to succeed. And watching his mother work long, taxing hours as a medical assistant made success imperative.

He decided about six months ago that it was time to come back. He has won each of his three fights since his return, including a stunning 12-round decision over favored Hector Quiroz in September.

Now, he has an eye on World Boxing Organization champion Giovanni Parisi.

``It hurt to see her work like that,'' he said of his mom. ``It woke me up. I want to take care of my family. And I know now that I'm the only one who can make a difference in my life. I'll do this knowing in a little while everything is going to be all right.

``. . . And, oh man, I missed boxing. It's my love. Being in (the ring), being up there in front of everyone, no drug can give you that feeling.''

Lopez, 29, has had plenty of ups and downs.

The former Glendale resident won a silver medal for his native Mexico in the 1984 Olympics and quickly established a reputation as a promising - and entertaining - professional.

However, he ran into serious trouble in '88, when he was convicted of kidnapping his girlfriend and beating her father. He began a two-year prison term the following year.

Then, in '93, eight fights into his comeback, he tested positive for marijuana a first time and was suspended for six months. He received a one-year suspension after the Fuentes fight - a close defeat - because it was his second offense.

``I felt like quitting for a while,'' Lopez said. ``I was just tired of the whole thing. I was so disappointed about the loss that I didn't care (about the positive test).

``. . . It wasn't a good feeling, though. It was like getting kicked while you're down.''

Suspension or no suspension, Lopez, who has a wife and two sons, had to make a living. And Australia is where he found work.

He sparred there with International Boxing Federation junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu, one of the sport's superstars whom Lopez gave a very tough fight in '94, and won each of four bouts.

In the end, it was a good move. He kept busy, he made some money (although not as much as he might have made here). He says he's sworn off marijuana and he reaffirmed faith in himself.

He hopes to lure World Boxing Association champion Frankie Randall into the ring if he wins Saturday.

``It's been frustrating,'' he said, referring to his inability to win that elusive world title. ``If I go back in the gym and see myself slipping, then I'll know it's time to call it quits.

``I don't see that, though. I still feel I have the ability to win a world championship. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here.''

Neither would Avila.

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Photo: (color) Hector Lopez, left, and John Avila will square off Saturday at Forum.

Evan Yee / Daily News