Follow all the action LIVE as Orlando Salido defends the WBO featherweight title in a Hotly anticipated rematch. In the co-feature, Miguel Angel Garcia looks to stay perfect when he takes on former world title challenger Beranabe Concepcion. The action begins at 8pm eastern / 5 pacific with three big fights featuring McWillaims Arroyo and Jose Gonazlez fightin in separate regional title bouts
These are the games that make unforgettable this sport and it’s a real shame to miss them. As the boxer Ottavio Barone once put it: ‘This is not merely throwing your fists on a curve, it’s a challenge against yourself.’ Luckily, even if you miss a game, you can still get the latest updates on your phone, maybe whilst you’re playing some mobile casino games.

12 Rounds Reamatch WBO Featherweight title–Orlando Salido (37-11-2, 25 KO’s) vs Juan Manuel Lopez (31-1, 28 KO’s)

Round 1 Salido lands a short left hook…10-9 Salido

Round 2 Salido backs up Lopez with a right..Left hook..Lopez lands a combination…Salido lands a left uppercut…Nice counter from Lopez…Left backs up Lopez..Right hand..20-18 Salido

Round 3 Lopez lands a counter right hook..Salido lands a right that drives Lopez back to the ropes..Another right..Yet another..Left/Hook..left…right..30-27 Salido

Round 4 Lopez lands a left..right…good left..jab..Swelling under left eye of Salido…39-37 Salido

Round 5 Looping right from Salido…Big right…working the body..Big left hook//…LITTLE RIGHT HOOK AND DOWN GOES SALIDO…47-47

Round 6 Big right from Salido…Right hand on the ropes..looping right and left..57-56 Salido

Round 7 Salido lands a left hook…Left hook..right and left backs up Lopez..2 more left hooks..Right hand…Great action at the end of the round…67-65 Salido

Round 8Salido countering off the ropes… Huge combination from Salido…Counter left hook..77-74 Salido

Round 9 Lopez landing hard shots to the body..Swelling under both eyes of Salido..Lopez landing left and right to the body..left to the head..THIS IS A WAR..its going to take aN UNBELEIVABLE FIGHT TO BEAT THIS FOR FIGHT OF THE EYAR…Salido lands 2 uppercuts..2 huge shots from Salido…86-84 Salido

Round 10 HUGE UPPERCUT RIGHT AND DOWN GOES LOPEZ AND THIS FIGHT IS OVERRRRRR

10 Rounds Featherweights–Miguel Angel Garcia (27-0, 23 KO’s) vs Bernabe Concepcion (29-5-1, 15 KO’s)

Round 1 Not much of anything…10-10

Round 2Solid right from Garcia..sharp left hook..Concepcion counter..20-19 Garcia

Round 3 Concepsion lands a right…Garcia lands a jab..Concepcion lands a right to the body…Garcia lands a right to the body…Booing from the crowd because of the slow pace…29-29

Round 4 Concepcion lands a counter right..Straight right from Garcia drives Concepcion to the ropes..hook to the body…Good left hook at the bell…39-38 Garcia

Round 5 Right from Garcia..2 good rights…lesd left hook..49-47 Garcia

Round 6 Garcia landing shots in the corner..Concepcion lands a nice right hand…59-56 Garcia

Round 7 CLEAN 1-2 TO THE TEMPLE AND DOWN GOES CONCEPCION…Left hook..left-riGHT AND HARD LEFT AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

MIGUEL ANGEL GARCIA TKO 7 AT 2:33

10 Rounds Lightweights–Jose A. Gonzalez (18-0, 13 KO’s) vs Hevinson Herrera (15-8-1, 10 KO’s)

Round 1 Gonzalez lands a right...10-9 Gonzalez

Round 2 Right from Herera makes Gonzlaez stumble…19-19

Round 3 Referee telling the fighters to fight… Left from Herrera…29-28 Herrera

Round 4 Gonzlaez throws a 4 punch combination..lands a right…38-38

Round 5 Good right Staggers Herrera..Big right..Left rocks Herrera…48-47 Gonzalez

Round 6 Gonzalez lands a left..left..right..left..Combination weakens Herrera;s legs..good left and another left …all from Southpaw stance…left..Blood from mouth of Herrera..good left AND DOWN GOES HERRERA..up at 6…58-55 Gonzalez

Round 7 Herrera is hurt..Herrera’s mouthpiece is out…68-64 Gonzalez

Round 8 Right from Gonzalez staggers Herrera..couple MORE PUNCHES AD THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

GONZALEZ WINS BY TKO 8 AT 1:12

10 Rounds–Flyweights–McWilliams Arroyo (10-1, 9 KO’s) vs Luis Maldonaldo (36-7-1, 27 KO’s)

Round 1 Maldonaldo jabbing to body…Arroyo lands an overhand right…2 more rights and 2 lefts…10-9 Arroyo

Round 2 Uppercut from Arroyo..Good body shot and a left..Good short punching from Arroyo..Good right..Good counter right and left…Maldonaldo turns southpaw…20-18 Arroyo

Round 3 Maldonaldo lands a body shot…Right from Arroyo..Working the body now…more body work..good right..quick right hand…Right from Maldonaldo..30-27 Arroyo

Round 4 Arroyo lands an uppercut..Good right..Maldonaldo lands a left..Arroyo jabs and lands a right…left-right combination..Good diversity from Arroyo..Right from Arroyo..Sharp right and left to top of the head…40-36 Arroyo

Round 5 Arroyo boxing well…50-45

Round 6 Good right stops Maldonaldo in his tracks..3 punch combination from Maldonaldo..Shapr punching from Arroyo..Maldonaldo cut badly around the left eye…60-54 Arroyo

Round 7Arroyo continuing to pressure …70-63 Arroyo

Round 8Just more of the same with rroyo boxing well and Maldonaldo lunging in…80-72

Round 9 3 punch combination from Arroyo…90-81 Arroyo

Round 10Good solid performance for Arroyo against his most experienced foe…100-91 Arroyo

98-92; 99-91 FOR MCWILLIAMS ARROYO

San Juan, P.R.- The main event started to a standing crowd in an almost full house. Fans knew they were about to see a war and were cheering López with as much enthusiasm as they booed Salido. Both fighters looked primed and in great shape for the fight. As soon as the bell rang for the first round silence dominated the arena. Salido stalked JuanMa while López used lateral movement and looked for countering opportunities in the first and second rounds. The third round saw some good exchanges and even if it was a fairly even round, Salido appeared to be making it into his type of fight.

Salido had the best of the first two minutes of the fourth webbanki.ru but JuanMa came back with some good shots in the last minute that got Orlando’s attention. JuanMa boxed well in the fifth and knocked Salido down with a short right hand towards the end of the round. Siri came out aggressive for the sixth and eventually put López against the ropes where he landed some of his best shots so far. The Mexican kept the pressure up during the seventh and both landed good shots but Orlando seemed the fresher boxer.

Roles changed in the eight when JuanMa started driving Salido back and Salido got pinned against the ropes but still managed to land his share of punches as the crowd cheered for their charging countryman. The ninth saw all pretense of defense thrown out the window as both fighters traded to the delight of the crowd. Often it was hard to tell who was getting the better of the exchanges, but it was López going forward now.

The tenth saw a dramatic change as JuanMa came out looking completely exhausted and Salido took advantage to end things with several big rights and a short left. López got up but referee Roberto Ramírez Sr. saw that it was over and waved it off at 32 seconds.

With the loss, Salido solidifies himself as a world class boxer who still fights at the level of his opponents and López needs to take a long serious look at what his future holds. For the former Puerto Rican champion, there will be future opportunities as any brawler with his knockout power and his willingness to trade is always an entertaining boxer to watch. Salido will take his title for some spins and as long as he stays away from the Gamboa’s and, in my opinion, the Mickey Garcia’s of the featherweight division, he should be all right for a while.

“This is how I planned this fight,” said Salido. “I knew it was going to be a very tough fight. We both competed punch for punch. I’m just lucky he’s the one that fell.”

“He hit me hard but I could still continue,” said Lopez after the fight. “I was dominating the fight. It was a tough fight but I was winning.”

As simply put by Salido, “This was a classic in the long rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters.”
The co-feature of the night featured featherweight phenom Miguel “Mickey” Angel García (28-0, 24KO’s) of Oxnard, California defending his NABO title against Filipino Bernabé Concepción ( 29-5-1, 15 KO’s) in a fight to ten rounds. Action started slowly in the first two rounds. García used his reach advantage to land some jabs while Concepción managed to land two right hands at the end of the second. The third and fourth followed the same pattern until Mickey started letting his hands go at the end of the fourth and landed several right hands and left hooks that made Abe take a few steps back.

In the fifth, García upped his work rate and again landed several good shots as Concepción appeared to be in a much tougher fight than his opponent. In the sixth, García managed to take Bernabé against the ropes several times where he would land good shots. The Filipino fought back but his punches usually fell short o their target. Concepción had a good start to the seventh round as he landed several combinations but halfway through, Garcia landed a combination that knocked down and hurt Concepción. Bernabé beat the count but Mickey went systematically for him and forced the stoppage at 2:33 with Concepción receiving punishment against the ropes.

García looked as formidable as always in breaking down a game opponent with the demeanor of an experienced veteran. At 126 lbs he is threat to anyone and everyone.

Puerto Rican prospect José “Chelo” González (18-0, 13 KO’s) faced Hevinson Herrera (15-8-1, 13KO’s) who fights out of Miami, Florida in a ten rounder at lightweight. The first four rounds were very tactical with both fighters looking for their range and only landing a few punches a piece while the crowed booed in disapproval.

Finally with forty seconds left in the fifth, Chelo landed a right hand that wobbled Herrera, got the crowd on its feet and went for the finish but ran out of time. González landed multiple straight lefts from his southpaw stance in the sixth finally knocking down Herrera but again couldn’t seal the deal before the bell rang. By the seventh round, Chelo was dominating but seemed in no hurry to press the action until the final seconds.

The referee finally halted the fight when in the eighth González landed several flurries to the head of Herrera. Herrera complained but he was hopelessly behind in the scorecards and seemed pretty hurt at the time of stoppage which was 1:12 of the eighth. Chelo won, but did leave much to be desired considering he is usually an action fighter and this was a big opportunity for him to shine on Showtime.

As to what’s next for Garcia, he responded, “I would like to face any of the champions at 126.”

The televised portion of the card started with the other half of the Arroyo brothers, McWilliams Arroyo (11-1, 9 KO’s) facing tough journeyman and two time world title challenger Luis “Titi” Maldonado (38-7-1, 29KO’s) of Baja California, Mexico. The fight was set at a limit of 112lbs. and set for ten rounds with the WBO Latino Title on the line. Arroyo dominated the first round with jabs, lead left hooks and straight right hands to his southpaw opponent’s head and body. Both fighters traded lefts in the second, but the Puerto Ricans’ were sharper and seemed to carry more power. Arroyo won the third but developed some ugly swelling right over his right eye, possibly from a Maldonado left hand. Arroyo countered well in the fourth but his swelling eye started bleeding.

The fifth saw some more counter punching from McWilliam and on the sixth he unloaded with some excellent combinations that eventually opened a cut under Titi’s right eye. Rounds seven, eight and nine were fought at a slower pace as Arroyo started using more of the ring and doing less body work while fighting with his mouth open. The Mexican had his best round in the tenth managing to land several good shots and forcing Arroyo to backpedal for most of the round. Judge’s scorecards were 98-92 and 99-91 twice in favor of Arroyo.

Allan Tanada (11-2-2, 5KO’s) of Paranaque City, Philippines and Gamalier Rodríguez (18-2-3, 12KO’s) of Bayamón, P.R. Were up next for a featherweight bout set for eight rounds. Tanada was eager to exchange from the get go but Rodríguez used his superior footwork and counter punching skills to land clean punches while staying away from danger. By the fifth round Tanada was showing signs of desperation and payed the price for it when, with thirty seconds left, got caught and rocked. After several more big blows from Rodríguez, the referee appeared to stop the fight but let them at it again apparently realizing the round wasn’t over. The last rounds saw Tanada looking to land something spectacular but only finding the business end of Gamalier’s powerful counters. Final scores were 80-72 and 79-73 twice all in favor of Rodríguez.

Former Puerto Rican amateur star McJoe Arroyo (10-0, 5 KO’s) fought Shawn Nichol (5-10, 5KO’s) of Denver, Colorado at a limit of 115 lbs. After a fairly even first round, Arroyo’s more precise punches and better footwork started to take over in the second when he also landed several big blows to the body. Nichol was game through the third and fourth but by the end of the fifth, Arroyo’s body work began paying dividends. Nichol went all out in the sixth but the former Olympian’s straighter, shorter punches rocked him throughout. Final scores were 59-55 and twice 60-54 in favor of the still undefeated Arroyo.

Charlie Serrano (14-3-1, 4KO’s) took on local Camilo Pérez (7-0, 4KO’s) in a junior featherweight bout set for six. Both fighters fought on mostly even terms for the first two rounds and in the third, Pérez landed some crisp right hands that seemed to wake up Serrano who closed the round strong. An unintentional headbutt opened a cut on Camilo’s forehead in the fourth but he closed the round landing the cleaner punches. Pérez used his jab well offensively and defensively to win the last two rounds and take a unanimous decision with scores of 58-56 and 59-55 twice.

Junior welterweights Alberto González and John Karl Sosa made their respective pro debuts to start of off the night. In a one sided fight, Sosa (now 1-0,1 KO) showed a classic amateur style before dropping González twice in the second round. Sosa landed well to the body and head of his over matched opponent before the referee stopped the fight with González on his back. Time of stoppage was 1:02 of the second round.

The next four rounder featured Enrique “Quique” Quinones (4-11-1, 4KO’s) vs. Rafael González (8-0 7KO’s) in a welterweight bout set for four. Quinones offered only a little bit of resistance in the first stanza but González took over and chased him around the ring while landing hard punches from then on. Round two saw more of the same with González feeding Quinones a steady diet of uppers until Quinones’ corner finally waved a towel and the referee stopped the fight at 1:10 of the third.

Diego Magdaleno got a big fight weekend underway with a third round stoppage over Gilberto Sanchez Leon in round three of a scheduled ten round Super Featherweight bout at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Magdaleno scored a knockdown in round two from a left to the head. He landed some hard head shots but Sanchez Leon get out of the round. Magdaleno dropped Sanchez Leon at the beginning of round three from a hard right hand. That knockdown was authoritative and Sanchez Leon was hurt. Magdaleno finished the show with a flurry of punches that sent Sanchez Leon to the canvas just as referee Vic Drachulich stopped the bout.

The time of the stoppage was forty-nine seconds of round three for Magdaleno, 130 lbs of Las Vegas and is now 19-0 with seven knockouts. Sanchez Leon, 130 lbs of Mexacali, Mexico is now 31-9-2.

Juan Carlos Martinez scored an upset split decision victory over former world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion in an eight round Super Featherweight fight.

Martinez just did more then the disappointing Concepcion as he almost doubled his punch and land output. The fight was not action filled although Martinez had some blood from his nose in round five.

There was a good exchange at the end of round seven as the two traded right hands.

Martinez, 127 lbs of Mexico won by scores of 78-74; 77-75 while somehow Concepcion won a card by the tally of 77-75.

Martinez is now 18-13-1. Concepcion, 128 lbs of the Philippines was making his first start since being stopped by Featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez is now 28-5-1.

Notre Dame Alum Mike Lee scored a four round umajority decision over Gilberto Gastellum in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Gastellum had a decent first round but Lee settled in a boxed his well over the next three rounds which included a nice rally at the end of the third frame that was set off with a nice uppercut

Lee of Chicago won by scores of 40–36; 39-37 and 38-38 to stay undefeated at 5-0. Gastellum, 174 lbs of Tucson, AZ is now 0-2-1.

After a quiet fall so far things finally kick off in a big way with the Featherweight clash of Juanma Lopez against Rafael Marquez this Saturday. It presents us with a young up and coming fighter, who’s a two weight world champion against a older guy who’s place in the history books is already assured and looking to become a three weight world champion. Throw in the Puerto Rican, Mexico rivalry and this has all the makings a tremendous fight. It could be a changing of the guard if Lopez wins or it could be a reminder of just how good Marquez is if he wins. For his part Juanma has done all that has been asked of him so far going a perfect 29-0(26) which is a kayo ratio of nearly 90%. While Marquez boasts a 39-5(35) ledger with an almost equal kayo ratio. Showing both guys can clearly punch. Lopez has been down against Bernabe Concepcion & close to being stopped with Rogers Mtagwa while Marquez has been stopped in 4 of his 5 loses showing a chink in there armour. Of course you don’t go as far as these two guys if you can’t box, but a stoppage must be favoured in this battle of gunslingers. Here’s what Lopez had to say ahead of arguably his biggest fight to date.

Hello Juanma, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – You have a big fight coming up with Rafael Marquez, what are your thoughts on this fight?

Juanma Lopez – This is the greatest fight for me in my career. I think that I have to go in the best shape for this fight because I’m going to face a good fighter who’s also training hard for the bout. Marquez is a good champion and an experienced fighter.

Anson Wainwright – The fight was originally scheduled for 18 September but has been put back 6 weeks how has that effected you?

Juanma Lopez – The change had no effect for me because I came from a fight in July 10 and with the postposition I rested a little bit and continued my training as always. But with my family did affect a little because I would take my children to Disney World and now I have to take them after the fight.

Anson Wainwright – You gave your 30 day pre-weigh in how did that go? What do you normally weigh between fights?

Juanma Lopez – In the first pre-weigh in I made 136 pounds of a 144.9 maximum, I’m in a good way in this moment with this weight. Normally, when I don’t have fights, I’m in 144 or 145 pounds.

Anson Wainwright – This will be your third fight at Featherweight since moving up from Super Bantamweight, how much easier is it for you to make weight? Do you think you’ll stay at 126 for long?

Juanma Lopez – I’m very comfortable in this weight, it’s more easy to make the weight of 126. When I was in 122 for my latest fights I was dehydrated as the Rogers Mtagwa fight, my last in 122. I think that I’m going to fight in 126 for a year, always looking for the good offers.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team, who is your manager, trainer & promoter? Also what gym do you train at?

Juanma Lopez – My manager is Orlando Piñero, who has been with me from amateur and is like a father, my trainer is Alex Caraballo and my promoters Top Rank and PR Best Boxing Promotions. I train in the Jose “Cheo” Aponte Gym in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Anson Wainwright – Much has been made of your rivalry with Yuriorkis Gamboa, what are your feelings on him and that potential fight?

Juanma Lopez – That is a fight it must be given, promoters have been talking about that for a long time. Both of us want the fight and if all goes well, it’s going to make in the summer of 2011. We are both hard punchers and there will be a good fight between Gamboa and me.

Anson Wainwright – The Featherweight is pretty strong at the moment along with Marquez & yourself you have Celestino Caballero, Elio Rojas & Chris John along with up and comers like Mikey Garcia & Juan Carlos Burgos. What are your thoughts on those guys & how strong the Featherweight division is?

Juanma Lopez – In this moment the division is one of the best. I want to face the best fighter and I’m ready for all of them, Chris John, Celestino Caballero, Gamboa, Rojas. There are a lot of talent in this 126 division right now.

Anson Wainwright – So far what fight do you think was your best performance & why? Also which KO of yours do you consider the best?

Juanma Lopez – I had good fights in my career, but one of my best performances was the Daniel Ponce de Leon KO. It was in my first title bout and I knocked out him in the very first round. He was downed three times, it was a great fight for me.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for Rafael Marquez ahead of your fight?

Juanma Lopez – The message is that he will be well trained for this fight because I’m training to do the best. I know he is a good boxer and I’m training for that, to box, to brawl, to everything will happen in that ring.

Thanks for your time Juanma keep up the good work.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

Carolina, P.R.- Fighters for this Saturday’s “The Challenge” weighed in today at the Verdanza hotel in Isla Verde, Carolina. The event is a co-promotion between Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions and the brothers Rivera PR Best Boxing Promotions to be televised by SHOWTIME®. Mr. Arum himself was there for the event as was Lee Samuels. Fighters from Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Mexico, Barbados, Canada and the United States make up the fifty eight round, seven bout card with fights from super flyweight division all the way up to the heavyweights.

After all fighters were weighed, Puerto Rican Juan Manuel López stayed a while to talk to the press about his upcoming fight, his future plans and his support for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

About Concepción, López said he knows he is a young, strong fighter with a rather unorthodox style but was confident of having all the necessary tools to come away with the victory. He added that Concepción looks just like he did for his fight against Mario Santiago and other than the awkwardness of the style, doesn’t expect any surprises.

When asked about the similarities between this fight and his life and death struggle against Tanzanian Rogers Mtagwa, López answered that that had been at 122lbs. where he was too weak from the struggle to make weight unlike this time where he now is well accustomed to 126lbs. He added that if there are people taking the Mtagwa fight as an example that he isn’t as good as some of the other champions in the division, they are making a big mistake. This since in that fight he proved he can be hurt but still keep on fighting and bring home the victories. López admitted that Concepción might be a difficult fighter because of his style and the volume of punches he throws, but he believes he has faster hands that also carry more power

About possible future rival Rafael Márquez, López stated that he had wanted to fight him, and Israel Vázquez, since 2008 but not until now had they shown interest. JuanMa added that even though Marquez is a very dangerous opponent, he believes his style makes for a more comfortable fight than Concepción as it is a more orthodox style of boxing.

López will be wearing pink and white shoes, robe and gloves which will later be auctioned off to help the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, a cause he has taken under his wing for this fight.

Blue Corner Red Corner

WBO Featherweight Title-12rds.
Bernabé Concepción-125lbs. Vs. Juan Manuel López-125.3lbs.
Rizal Province, Philippines (28-3-1, 15KO’s) Caguas, Puerto Rico (28-0, 25KO’s)

WBA Interim Super Flyweight Title-12rds.
Hernán Marquez-115lbs. Vs. Nonito Donaire-114.5lbs.
Empalme, México (27-1, 20KO’s) General Santos City, Philippines (23-1, 15KO’s)

NABO Super Bantamweight Title-10rds.
Eden Sonsona-121.6lbs. Vs. Jonathan Oquendo-121.4lbs.
Paranque City, Philippines (21-5, 7KO’s) Vega Alta, Puerto Rico (18-2, 11KO’s)

Cruiserweight fight-8rds.
Gustavo Enríquez-192.9lbs Vs. Carlos Negrón-194.6lbs.
Ciudad Juarez, México (15-9, 12KO’s) Villalba, Puerto Rico (9-0, 7KO’s)

Bantamweight fight-6rds.
Jason Rorie-118.3lbs. Vs. McJoe Arroyo 119.6lbs.
Winston, North Carolina (6-7-2, 3KO’s) Fajardo, Puerto Rico (3-0, 1KO)

Lightweight Fight-4rds.
Mathew Robinson-133.9lbs. Vs. José González 136.6lbs.
Bridgeport, Barbados (3-1, 1KO) Toa Baja, Puerto Rico (10-0, 6KO’s)

Heavyweight Fight-6rds.
David Whittom-218.5lbs. Vs. Victor Bisbal-236lbs.
Quebec, Canada (10-12-1, 6KO’s) Salinas, Puerto Rico (16-1, 11KO’s)

Carolina, P.R.- Fighters, managers and trainers for this Saturday’s upcoming fight card spoke with 15rounds.com at today’s press conference. The show will feature Puerto Rican Juan Manuel López against Filipino Bernabé Concepción and Vic Darchinyan conqueror Nonito Donaire aginst Mexican Hernán Marquez as the co-features.

Nonito “Flash” Donaire (23-1-0, 15KO’s) stated that he felt good, strong and ready for his upcoming bout against Hernán “Tyson” Marquez (27-1-0, 20KO’s), Sonora, Mexico. Donaire said he’s seen Marquez and knows he has a good record and is a strong fighter who hits hard and is hungry but thinks he has an advantage in speed and height that will help him carry along his plan of fighting from the outside.

The new Filipino “Flash” said this would be his last fight at super flyweight as it is becoming increasingly hard for him to make weight. When asked about what fights at bantamweight he would like, the name of Mexican WBC and WBO titlist Fernando Montiel immediately came up though he said he would not have it in Mexico as he doesn’t want to be at a disadvantage. The names of Eric Morel and Jorge Arce also came up as possible candidates. He would go on to state that his plans are to move all the way up to super bantamweight and mentioned Puerto Rican WBO titlist Wilfredo Vázquez Jr. as a possible opponent stating that he would carry the weight very well and be very comfortable at 122lbs.

Donaire also commented on the rivalries between Filipino, Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters on a positive note stating that fans want to see it. He finished by thanking his fans for all the support saying that it is them who give him determination.

His trainer, Robert García, also acknowledged Marquez’s strength, power and hunger and even admitted that the fight could end early favoring anyone of the fighters. Although he expressed, as had Donaire before, that making weight had become increasingly hard, he was clear that it wouldn’t affect this fight and that Nonito was ready to go twelve rounds if necessary.

Nonito’s opponent, “Tyson” Marquez, told us he’s been watching Donaire for a long time and knows his opponents strengths but also his weakness. The Mexican fighter was quick to point out Donaire’s height, explosiveness, speed and power and catalogued him as a dangerous fighter. Still he said that even though he doesn’t get hit very often, when he has gotten caught, he’s been hurt.

Clear about his plan, Marquez said he would look to get inside and try to get to him first. This, since he admits that whoever gets clocked first will most likely go down. He worked out for this fight for seven weeks, two of them at sea level and the other five at high altitude on Mexico’s D.F.

His trainer, Rudy Pérez, knows Donaire is a very complete boxer that must be approached intelligently yet that won’t be a deterrent for there to be “candela” (fire) come Saturday.

Juan Manuel “JuanMa” López (28-0-0, 25KO’s) kept it short at the podium regarding boxing as he took advantage to speak on behalf of breast cancer research, a cause he has taken into consideration for this upcoming bout. Still he gave credit to his next opponent, Filipino Bernabé “The Real Deal” Concepción (28-3-1, 15KO’s) who is coming off a career-best performance against Puerto Rican Mario Santiago.

López said that pads are easier to hit than he is and they won’t hit back like he will. About Concepción’s training in Manny Pacquiao’s camp, he said that many fighters want to be like the Pac-Man, whom he called a good friend, but only Manny can do it. Jokingly, he said that if Manny, who was supposed to be at the fight, would get on the ring to fight on Concepción’s behalf, he would call up former three-division world champion, Felix “Tito” Trinidad to back him up.

About the looming fight with Rafael Marquez, JuanMa, in a sort of contradiction, said that he wasn’t going to talk about that fight but at the same time that it was a reality. Rafael Marquez is coming of a TKO victory over Israel Vázquez that settled their four fight “fiesta” at two wins a piece.

López’s manager, Orlando Piñero was a little less discreet and made it clear that no matter how good Concepción was, JuanMa is the best champion out there right now and he will prove it come Saturday.

Concepción was also brief at the podium barely stating that this fight was an honor for him and that everybody knows JuanMa is a tough fighter. When asked afterwards about how he felt being in Puerto Rico, he replied that he felt comfortable as did his team and his manager Michael Koncz as the weather is very similar to that in the Philippines.

He assured 15rounds.com that his training, held in Los Angeles, California, was pretty good as he had three sparring partners from the famous Wild Card Gym. He told us he was very comfortable at the weight and didn’t foresee any trouble in this area.

About the fight, he predicted it would probably not get to twelve rounds since they both have power. When comparing the fight to his previous one against Santiago, another Puerto Rican southpaw, Concepción said that the main difference would be in the power López has and Santiago doesn’t. He admitted both could move, but López has more power from what he has seen in a couple of his fights.

Regarding his DQ loss against Steven Luevano, who was later stopped by López, Abe said that when he watched a video of the fight he realized he had to throw more punches. In that fight, two of the judges had Luevano ahead at the end of the seventh round when Concepción landed a punch after the bell that knocked out Luevano. Regardless of the outcome, Concepción said he was “disgusted” with his performance and as a result changes were made in his corner.

His manager, Michael Koncz, jumped in the conversation and spoke about many adjustments being made in the physical aspect but also on the technical aspect of his fighter’s boxing. About the technical changes, Koncz said we would have to wait until Saturday to see them.
Bernabé knows he is an underdog in this fight, although a very live one, and wasn’t very enthusiastic about speaking of future plans but said he would definitely sit down and talk about a fight with Rafael Marquez should he win this weekend.

He ended saying “for all the fans, thank you so much and I hope you don’t miss it”.

Another Filipino fighter appearing on the card will be Eden Sonsona (21-5-0, 7KO’s) who will be facing interim WBO Latino Super bantamweight titlist Jonathan “Polbo” Oquendo (18-2-0, 11KO’s) of Vega Alta Puerto Rico. Sonsona didn’t want to make a prediction on how the fight was going to end, but said his camp had been good and he was happy and excited to be part of the event.

He urged his fans to watch the fight as it was going to be the most exciting fight.

The card will feature a host of upcoming Puerto Rican prospects including ex-Olympians Victor Bisbal, McJoe Arroyo and Carlos Negrón and will be televised around the world and broadcasted in the United States on Showtime. Tickets are available at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot and through Ticketpop. Prices range from $400.00 to $35.00

Featherweight contender Bernabe Concepcion of the Philippines and chief trainer Bueboy are off to Puerto Rico today. Concepcion is taking on world champion Juan Manuel Lopez there on Saturday, July 10.

Concepcion, 22, boxes in the Manny Pacquiao stable and has been training for weeks at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Ca. Both Concepcion and Lopez have promised victory in the world title fight which will be at the Coliseo of Puerto Rico in Hato Rey.

“Bernabe has all of the ingredients to make a great champion,” Pacquiao said. “He works hard and is focused only on boxing. We have very high hopes for him.”

Lopez, 26, is the WBO 126-pound champion. He is 7-0 with six knockouts in world title fights.

Michael Koncz, chief advisor to Pacquiao, is taking a flight from the Philippines and will be with Concepcion in Puerto Rico.

Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Bernabe Concepcion and Nonito Donaire vs. Hernan Tyson Marquez is promoted by Top Rank in association with PR Best Boxing. The two title fights will be broadcast live on SHOWTIME (9 pm eastern/9 pm pacific – delayed on West Coast)

YURI FOREMAN ON ROAD TO RECOVERY

Yuri Foreman, who had a knee injury during the recent fight with Miguel Cotto, is on the road to recovery. Yuri, from his iPad, wrote…”walking a bit with a knee brace…rehab going well….but I would like to speed up the process.”

Top Rank Notebook — Steven Badgley, the U.S. Army helicopter pilot who fought several weeks ago at Madison Square Garden, has been transferred from Fort Drum, N.Y. to an undisclosed location. “I am fine – don’t let anyone worry,” said Badgley, a Chief Warrant Officer……

Tony Martin, chief trainer for Mark Melligen, says Manny Pacquiao – even as a very young fighter in the Philippines – always had a ‘warrior style of fighting’ whenever he got into the ring.’….

Melligen, from Rizal, Philippines and Martin are off to Reno, Nevada today for a Top Rank/Let’s Get It On Promotions press conference. Melligen, who trained for weeks in Las Vegas, is taking on Anges Adjaho, in the opening televised bout on the Top Rank Live! (FSN) fight card on Saturday, July 3. The live telecast is 10 pm eastern/7 pm pacific.

Thanks to all

TOP RANK SCHEDULE

Saturday, July 3, Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Reno, Nevada – FSN
10 Rds., Flyweights
ULISES ‘ARCHIE’ SOLIS, 30-2-2, 21 KOs, Guadalajara, Mexico
vs. ERIC ORTIZ, 31-10-3, 20 KOs, Mexico City

10 Rds. Welterweights
MARK MELLIGEN, 18-2, 13 KOs, Cebu City, Philippines
vs. ANGES ADJAHO, 17-2, 9 KOs, Geneva, N.Y.

8 Rds., Middleweights
JOEY GILBERT, 20-2, 16 KOs, Reno, Nevada
vs. BILLY BAILEY, 10-8-1, 4 KOs, Bakersfield, Ca.

Saturday, July 10, Coliseo of Puerto Rico, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico – SHOWTIME
12 Rds., WBO Featherweight Championship
Champion JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ, 28-0, 25 KOs, Caguas, Puerto Rico
vs. BERNABE CONCEPCION, 28-3-1, 15 KOs, Rizal, Philippines

12 Rds., WBA Interim Super Flyweight Championship
Champion NONITO ‘FILIPINO FLASH’ DONAIRE, 23-1,15 KOs, San Leandro, Calif.
vs. HERNAN ‘TYSON’ MARQUEZ, 27-1, 20 KOs, Empalme, Mexico

12 Rds., NABO Super Bantamweight Champioship
JONATHAN OQUENDO, 18-2, 11 KOs, Vega Alta, Puerto Rico
vs. EDEN SONSONA, 19-5, 8 KOs, Paranaque, Philippines

Saturday, July 17, Chiapas, Mexico – FSN
12 Rds., WBO Bantamweight Championship
Champion FERNANDO MONTIEL, 41-2-2, 31 KOs, Los Mochis, Mexico
vs. Interim Champion ERIC MOREL, 42-2, 21 KOs, San Juan, Puerto Rico

6 Rds., Junior Featherweights
ROBERTO MARROQUIN, 14-0, 11 KOs, Dallas
vs. To Be Announced

Saturday, July 31, Tepic, Mexico – Fox Sports Espanol
Main Event to be Announced

Photo By Chris Farina / Top Rank

NEW YORK (July 1, 2010) – World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez (28-0, 25 KO’s) is set to defend his title against Filipino Bernabe Concepcion (30-2-1, 17 KOs) on July 10 in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Saturday’s 12-round world title fight is promoted by Top Rank Inc.

Lopez, The former WBO super-bantamweight champion, knows Concepcion will be one of the fastest fighters he’s ever faced. “I’ve seen Bernabe Concepcion fight several times and I’ve really studied his style. I know he’s working with Manny Pacquiao – they work with the same people. He’s a very strong fighter. He’s a young fighter – a hungry fighter. He really wants to be a world champion. He’s a difficult opponent.

“He’s a very intelligent fighter, so we need to be very intelligent, too. We need to fight him with a lot of pressure and a lot of speed – we need to be very fast that night.”

In what should prove to be an equally entertaining co-feature bout, Nonito Donaire (23-1, 15 KOs) will battle Hernan Marquez (25-1, 18 KOs) for the interim WBA super flyweight championship. Donaire is currently ranked in the top five on several publications’ pound-for-pound lists and is the former IBF world flyweight and IBO world flyweight champion.

Lopez, who will be making the first defense of his second world title, made the move up to featherweight in his last fight, a January TKO win over Steven Luevano at Madison Square Garden in New York, and is currently on the longest layoff of his five-year pro career. Luevano was the third world champion Lopez has fought and vanquished in his last seven fights.

Luevano is the only common opponent between Lopez and Concepcion with Concepcion losing to him by disqualification in the seventh round in August, 2009.

On June 7, 2008, Lopez defeated Daniel Ponce de León by technical knockout to win his first title – the WBO super bantamweight championship. He defended the title five times until Jan. 23, 2010, vacating it after defeating Luevano for the organization’s featherweight championship.

Against Lopez, Concepcion will face the biggest puncher he’s ever encountered. The 22-year-old began his pro career at 110 pounds before settling into the super-bantamweight division in 2005. He later moved up to 126 pounds in 2009.

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In his last fight in February of this year, he won a 10-round unanimous decision over Mario Santiago in Las Vegas. Before that, against Luevano, Concepcion blatantly belted the defending WBO featherweight champ with an after-the-bell shot at the end of the seventh round earning him the disqualification.

In preparation for his 12-round co-feature bout against Marquez, Donaire will be looking to drop close to 10 pounds to get down to the 115-pound limit. The “Filipino Flash” has been sparring with heavier fighters like Glenn Gonzales and Luevano.

Donaire, 27, won the interim WBA super flyweight title in August 2009, and has made one successful defense. He is unbeaten in world title bouts. Marquez is just 21 and goes by the nickname “Tyson” because as an amateur his father said he hit as hard as Mike Tyson.

Gus Johnson will call the action with Al Bernstein serving as expert analyst and Jim Gray as the ringside reporter. The executive producer is David Dinkins Jr., with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

For information on all SHOWTIME Sports telecasts, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries from its events, please visit the website at http://www.sports.sho.com.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television Networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

Nonito Donaire retained the Interim WBA Super Flyweight championship with a third round stoppage over late replacement and undersized Manuel Vargas at The Hilton Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The size disparity was evident early as Donaire pushed Vargas back anytime he needed to with his punches. Vargas was very guarded early as the former minimumweight title challenger knew he was really up against the odds on this night. In round three, Donaire landed a heavy three punch combination that was capped off by a big uppercut that sent Vargas down flat on his back for referee Joe Cortez ten count at 1:33 of round five.

Donaire, 115 lbs of General Santos City, Philippines will now look for a Summer showdown rematch with Vic Darchinyan as his record now stands at 23-1 with fifteen knockouts. Vargas, 114 lbs of Laguas De Moreno, Mexico is now 26-5-1

Fernando Montiel remained his WBO Bantamweight title with a body shot knockout over Ciso Morales.

Montiel landed a left to the body and a grazing right that sent Morales down for referee Robert Byrd’s ten count and the bout was waved off at 2:06.

Montiel, 118 lbs of Los Mochis, Mexico is now 40-2-2 with thirty knockouts. Morales, 118 lbs of Talabon Bohol, Philippines is now 14-1.

Gerry Penalosa turned back the clock and fought through two nasty cuts but showed his experience but still came up on the short end of a close split decision loss to Eric Morel in a WBO Interim Bantamweight title bout.

Morel boxed very well over the over the first few rounds as he jabbed and moved in and out befuddling Penalosa. That didn’t last long as Penalosa was very patient and began to apply pressure in little bunches as he would land some pesky three and four punch combinations. In round six, two accidental headbutts opened up two separate cuts around the eyes of Penalosa but despite the blood, the fight was allowed to continue and that seemed to light a fire under Penalosa.

Penalosa looked to be getting the better of the action over the second half of the fight with his work rate whereas Morel would land some jabs and move but not many power shots behind them. Penalosa could very well have taken five of the last six rounds but it wasn’t to be as Morel got the split decision by scored of 116-112; 115-113 with Penalosa gaining a card 115-113.

Morel, 117 lbs of Madison, WI vis San Juan , PR now will gain a shot at Fernando Montiel with a record of 42-2. Penalosa, 118 lbs of San Caious, Philippines is now 54-8-2.

Bernabe Concepcion hung on for a unanimous decision over Mario Santiago in a Featherweight elimination bout.

Concepcion had a lot of success early as he landed winging rights hands and backed up Santiago with some flush shots. Santiago was jabbing but little else as he ate those shots. In round six, a booming right sent Santiago to the deck and and he was hurt. Concepcion tried to end things but Santiago held him off and landed a enough shots that Concepcion was backing off towards the end of the round.

Concepcion took the next couple rounds to build up his comfortable lead on the cards. Santiago got foing towards the end of the ninth and carried that momentum into the final round as he rocked Concepcion with a barrage of punches against the ropes and Concepcion looked to be in trouble. Concepcion tried to fire back in a wildly entertaining exchange that thrilled the crowd for the last thirty seconds of the fight.

It was too little, too late fro Santiago as Concepcion, 126 lbs of Catandunes, Philippines, won by scores of 98-91; 96-93; 97-92 to raise his record to 28-3-1and earn a shot at WBO champion Juan Manuel Lopez in June. Santiago, 126 lbs of Ponce, Puerto Rico is now 21-2-1.

Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank