DALLAS (May 9, 2013) — Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion MIKEY GARCIA will make his first title defense, against former two-division world champion JUAN MANUEL “Juanma” LOPEZ, Saturday, June 15, at the American Airlines Center (2500 Victory Ave., Dallas, TX 75219). The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT. This will be the first time HBO has televised a boxing event from the American Airlines Center.

Making their Dallas debut, Garcia and Lopez boast a combined record of 64-2 (56 KOs) — a winning percentage of 97% and a victory by knockout ratio of 87.5%.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with PR Best Boxing, Foreman Boys Promotions and Tecate, tickets, priced at $200, $100, $60, $40 and $25, plus additional service fees, will go on sale This Saturday! May 11 at 10:00 a.m. CT. Tickets can be purchased at the American Airlines Center box office (Monday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT), online at Ticketmaster.com, by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000, or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet (Fiesta Foods, Macy’s Wal-Mart and The Shops at Willowbend).

“Mikey proved in his last fight that he is a world champion. Now he has to prove he can remain a world champion when he faces one of the toughest men in the division in two-time world champion Juanma,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “This caps off an incredible run for boxing during the first half of 2013.”

“Mikey Garcia versus Juan Manuel Lopez is a can’t miss attraction,” says Kery Davis, senior vice president, HBO Sports. “Dallas is a first-class sports destination and we’re thrilled to be going to the American Airlines Center. June 15 is a date fight fans need to circle on their boxing calendar.”

Garcia (31-0, 26 KOs), of Oxnard Calif., a 2010 graduate of California’s Ventura County Police and Sheriff’s Reserve Officer Academy, returns to the ring having won 14 of his past 16 bouts by knockout. In his last fight, on January 19, he dethroned two-time featherweight champion Orlando Salido at Madison Square Garden via an eight-round technical win that had Garcia winning virtually every round against the seasoned veteran. Garcia, 25, had a career-best year in 2011, knocking out previously undefeated contender Matt Remillard in the 10th round in March to capture his NABF and NABO title belts. He followed that with four-round knockout title defense victories of Rafael Guzman and Juan Carlos Martinez in June and October, respectively. Guzman and Martinez had a combined record of 47-14-1 when they fought Garcia. Last year, he continued his winning ways, knocking out one-time world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion and former world champion Mauricio Pastrana, in the seventh and second rounds, respectively. He ended his 2012 campaign by knocking out former WBA featherweight champion Jonathan Barros in the eighth round on November 10, 2012. Garcia is trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed and trained by his brother, 2012 Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia, the former IBF junior lightweight champion.

Lopez (33-2, 30 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, returns to the ring for the third time this year, with 21 of his past 22 victories coming by way of knockout. The latest victims were Aldimar Santos and Eugenio Lopez on February 2 and April 20, respectively. The pride of Puerto Rico’s only blemishes on his sterling record have come from Salido, who scored world title victories over Lopez in 2011 and 2012. Lopez earned his first world title by knocking out defending WBO junior featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in the first round of their June 2008 fight. After five successful title defenses – four by knockout – he vacated the title and successfully challenged WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano, stopping him in the seventh round, on January 28, 2010, at Madison Square Garden. He successfully defended his featherweight crown twice during his 15-month reign with an exciting second-round TKO of Bernabe Concepcion and an eighth-round TKO of two division world champion Rafael Márquez.

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According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Featherweight champion Mikey Garcia will defend his crown against former world champion Juan Manuel Lopez on June 15th in Dallas, Texas

“Any way you look at it, it’s a great matchup — experience [Lopez] versus youth [Garcia], righty [Garcia] versus lefty [Lopez] and Mexican [Garcia] versus Puerto Rican [Lopez],” said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti. “Can’t thank HBO execs enough for their help in making this true crossroads bout.”

“‘Juanma’ has plenty left to give Mikey all he can handle, especially after getting two tuneups since the [second] loss to Salido,” Moretti said. “He’s very, very confident and [making] the weight is no issue at all.”

“That metroplex is a great fight scene and somewhat untapped,” Moretti said, adding that Top Rank chairman Bob Arum spoke with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban about the card on Wednesday and “he’s pumped.”

“You can’t be afraid to try something new,” Moretti said. “Remember — amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.”

Former two division world champion Juan Manuel Lopez will take on Aldimar Silva Santos of Brazil on February 2nd in Puerto Rico according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“This will be a good return fight for JuanMa after his biggest absence from the ring,” promoter Peter Rivera of PR Best Boxing Promotions said. “We are going to see how JuanMa looks after almost 11 months without a fight. JuanMa is training hard because he wants to win a world championship again.”

Former world champion Juan Manuel Lopez will return to the ring against an opponent to be named on February 2nd in Puerto Rico according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I’ve been training since August and I feel in good shape for my comeback,” Lopez said. “I will fight in another division, but the featherweights should know that I’m not out of that division. I’m going to fight in the junior lightweights in my return bout and I’m going to see what happens.”

In mid-November, Henry Neumann, Puerto Rico’s secretary of sports and recreation, ended Lopez’s suspension.

“Juanma Lopez can continue his career starting today,” Neumann said at the time. “Practically, this is a pardon, taking into consideration Juanma’s career as an amateur and professional. Juanma has been an example, serving his community work and adding the forgiveness of the referee.”

“I learned a lot from this experience,” Lopez said. “I feel so good because I can fight again and continue my career. This is my sport, but is my job too.”

All that is essential about our sport, in both amateur boxing and prizefighting, happens between its ropes and bells. What occurs during a match, the gravity of fists crashing against skulls, and how, is complicated enough to occupy a nimble mind for hours with conditional clauses. The rest of our sport comprises noise mostly, and the more oblivious of it one remains, the better.

What Mexican Orlando “Siri” Salido and Puerto Rican Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez did with each other Saturday on Showtime’s “Championship Boxing” in Puerto Rico’s Coliseo Roberto Clemente, the honesty with which they made their rematch for the WBO featherweight title, the way they contrasted and locked and made a gorgeous violence, was a celebration of what is true in boxing. Salido prevailed by technical knockout, as he did in their April match, felling Lopez in the 10th round with force enough to bounce the Puerto Rican’s right ear off his own shoulder and cause referee Roberto Ramirez Sr. to stop the match though Lopez was on his feet well before the count of 10, stumbling about.

Saturday’s match was a reminder of what is important in boxing and why it overwhelms the unimportant – erroneous descriptions, postfight happenings – with the enduring marks its violence carves in one’s memory.

Regardless of what television persuaded viewers to think, Salido-Lopez II was an even fight through four rounds. Orlando Salido, whose amateurishness – a grade-school jab and habit of touching his gloves before every surge – is offset by a faith in power and activity, was able to land seeing-eye rights over Lopez’s negligent guard.

How does Salido, his head down and weight too far forward, land such punches on an elite fighter?

He sets his eyes on an opponent’s chest and trusts a piece of anatomical geometry short fighters know well: The chin is one head above the chest. If you look at a man’s lower sternum and throw your fist a head’s length above, you’ll find a chin more times than not, and never worse than a jaw. Some fighters learn this through experimentation. Most learn it from an exasperated trainer in a monologue that goes: “Damn it, don’t get over your front knee! . . . Don’t throw that . . . Hey, if you’re going to do it, remember his chin is only a head above his chest, OK? Stop bouncing that punch off the top of his head.”

Juan Manuel Lopez, a southpaw whose left guard floats when he throws rights and whose chin floats generally and reliably, believes in his right hook nonetheless, whether using it as a lead or a check counter, and he nearly changed the trajectory of his career with it Saturday. Catching Salido at the end of a fifth round that was an even heat for 2 1/2 minutes till Salido opened up Lopez and had him retreating, Lopez checked Salido and sent him corkscrewing forward, into the ropes and onto the blue mat. Salido beat the count and wobbled towards his stool, grateful the knockdown happened in the round’s last 20 seconds, not its first.

Here it became plain Showtime’s play-by-play broadcaster, Gus Johnson, was capable of transcendent badness, embracing a sensationalistic impulse that would steer another wonderful fight towards the perilous territory of yet another scoring controversy and yet another made-by-television “disgrace” for boxing. It wasn’t so much that he mistook Lopez’s perfect right hook for a Salido slip but rather how his shouted messages collided with one another: The strongman Salido was beating down a shellshocked Lopez, outlanding him by a frightful margin, in the most competitive fight of 2012! Can a fight be both one-sided and competitive? Apparently so. Johnson preps to call the greatest fight in history or the greatest robbery in history each time his microphone goes live; all the better if both happen in the same fight.

The ninth round was a special one that saw Lopez plow obstinately forward, his mouth open and power undone and footwork a knot, in a distressed try to make Salido win by doing something even Salido’s gym mates probably didn’t know he could: counterpunch off the ropes. It was a round that was too good to score with conviction, though Lopez probably took it.

Which made the series of punches Salido landed in the first half minute of the 10th – a definitive set of combinations begun and ended with a right hand – so thrilling. Salido broke Lopez, ahead by majority-decision scores after nine rounds, as he did their first time and predicted he would again. Salido is every good thing people say about him.

Then came Lopez’s postfight comments, boldfaced assertions the referee who stopped the rematch, and his son who stopped the first fight, share a gambling addiction about which Lopez had warned the commission that appointed them. This was not a stunt by Lopez; he believed the veracity of the allegations he made. You want reality? There it is. We can fetishize people being real and celebrate Lopez’s candor, or we can say performers have a responsibility to maintain artistic distance, a barrier of insincerity. But we can’t have both – and especially not from concussed men still in the hot blood of a fight. The nature of Lopez’s allegation, and the appearance that Ramirez Sr.’s decision to stop the match was justified, mean Lopez now must produce evidence or a recantation very soon.

Whatever the outcome of that and however Showtime’s broadcasts lately compromise aficionados’ enjoyment of its product, nothing can be allowed to detract too much from the spectacle of Lopez’s heart or Salido’s desire to dominate it. The solace, as ever, is here: Only the 27 1/2 minutes Salido and Lopez made war on one another will be remembered.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

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.

San Juan, P.R. – Juan Manuel López (31-1 y 28 KO’s) has a long road ahead mirziamov.ru of him. His loss to Orlando “Siri” Salido (37-11-2, 25 KOs) for the WBO Featherweight Title will be a blemish hard, if even possible, to overcome on a possible road to true boxing stardom. Unlike many of his Puerto Rican predecessors, JuanMa’s first loss came too early and against the wrong opponent.

Without resting merit to Salido’s career, when he beat López last year he was coming off a unanimous decision loss to former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa which put the eleventh loss in Orlando’s record. With five of those losses being stoppages, and except for his losses to Juan Manuel Márquez and Cristobal Cruz, the rest being against unheralded opponents, Salido was rightfully a prohibitive underdog going into the fight. But there is more to boxing than simple records.

Against Cruz, it was a close fight. Versus reported Salido landing more punches than Cruz and at a better connect percentage. It must be said again, it was a close fight. Against Márquez, though not as close, Salido was there for the whole twelve rounds against a boxer who would go up in weight and knockout bigger opponents among which were Juan Díaz, Joel Casamayor and Michael Katsidis.

In addition, we had seen López in a life and death struggle against journeyman Rogers Mtagwa, a boxer who possessed a similar style to Salido if not as strong as the Mexican. There was reason to believe the constant aggression Salido would try to force on JuanMa could present problems for the young champion. And it did.

The former southpaw champion won the first rounds of the fight but was never able to control the pace. It was Salido forcing the action and even when he lost rounds he was forcing the Puerto Rican to fight on his terms. On top of that, López seemed unable to get rid of Salido’s right hand throughout the whole fight. The end came when referee Roberto Ramírez Jr. stopped the action in the eight round after JuanMa had gone down in the fifth. Still, the scorecards were even at the moment.

It was the Mexican’s heart and resilience that won him the fight along with his right hand. López did land good shots but was unable to deter the challenger. For a puncher like JuanMa, landing good punches and not seeing the affect you expect can be devastating. For a brawler like Salido, assimilating those punches will usually have the opposite effect. After a few rounds, the challenger knew it was just a matter of time and pressure.

There is no reason to believe Salido will bring anything new to the table this time around. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks and no reason to do it if his current bag is working. López, isn’t giving him any reason to do so either as he ate right hand after right hand in his last bout against Mike Oliver. True, he knocked out Oliver inside of two rounds, but “Machine Gun” had nothing in his arsenal that could really hurt the bigger, stronger ex-champ.

The upcoming rematch poses a big question for JuanMa. Should he try to outbox Salido round by round and aim for a decision or should he try to finish the fight as quickly as possible and not risk exhaustion coming into play? Interestingly enough both are feasible options.

There is no questioning his power (28 knockouts in 31 victories) but Salido, who was able to take quiet a few of it the first time around, was stopped several times early in his career. JuanMa also showed he can go long rounds at a strong pace against Gerry Peñalosa but that seems like a long time ago now. His technique being better than Salido’s, it is not completely unreasonable to think he could pull off a hard fought decision. Especially in Puerto Rico.

So it is reasonable to say that the outcome of the fight is mostly in López’s hands. It is certain though that he must bring his A game if he wants any chance at all of winning this fight. Conditioning, both mental an physical, will be a key aspect on Saturday. Regardless of which fight plan he chooses, a total commitment and excellent execution of it are going to be essential.

If he chooses to go for the early stoppage, he must go for it in a brutal fashion and end it during the first half of the fight. In doing so, he cannot let his opponent gain any sort of confidence be it by landing big shots early or by assimilating them. If he chooses to box he must avoid excessive punishment and use bodywork and uppercuts to soften and diminish his foe and avoid a late round scare.

JuanMa is slightly favored for most bookies but considering some of them had him a 10 to 1 favorite in the first fight it is my opinion they are not giving the Mexican warrior his due credit. True he didn’t look spectacular in his most recent outing against Weng Haya, but neither did JuanMa in his. They both won, showed their flaws and their strengths, and neither seemed to be a better or even different fighter than the first time they met. Salido was wild and aggressive while showing his heart and determination, and López was an offensive powerhouse who took as many right hands to the chin as his opponent had to offer.

I’m picking Salido to knock out López in the later rounds of what should be an interesting and action packed fight.

The under card includes Miguel Angel “Mikey” García (27-0, 23 KO’s) fighting Bernabe Concepcion (31-4-1, 17 KO’s) for the NABO and NABF featherweight titles. Also fighting will be former Puerto Rican amateur stars McJoe (9-0, 5 KO’s) and McWilliams (10-1, 9 KO’s)Arroyo, Jonathan “Bomba” González (8-0, 7 KOs) and Camilo Pérez (6-0, 4 KO’s). It is being presented by Top Rank and P.R. Best Boxing Promotions and transmitted by Showtime.

SAN JUAN, P.R. (January 17, 2012) – World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion ORLANDO “Siri” SALIDO and former WBO featherweight champion JUAN MANUEL “Juanma” LOPEZ will finally square off for their World Featherweight Championship rematch, Saturday, March 10. Their battle will be televised live from Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, P.R. on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.) If the rematch is anything like their first rumble, more than palm trees will be swaying when these two warriors start throwing. The SHOWTIME telecast will open with undefeated No. 1 featherweight contender MIKEY GARCIA risking record and rating as well as his impending world title shot in a 10-round featherweight battle.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with PR Best Boxing Promotion, Zanfer Promotions and the city of San Juan, tickets to Lopez-Salido II go on sale Today! Tuesday, January 17. Priced at $400, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25, tickets can be purchased at www.tcpr.com or by phone charge by calling Ticket Center at (787) 792-5000.

“The stakes are high for the heated rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “There is no predictability in this rematch as the first fight showed…. Anything can happen!”

“SHOWTIME has made a name for itself by televising the most competitive fights in boxing,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “This match-up is not only competitive, but explosive as well. Add the intensity of the Puerto Rican fan base at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum and you have a recipe for a sports spectacle. Boxing fans have been asking for this rematch since last April, and we’re happy to give them what they want.”

“I shocked the world last year with my win, but when I do it again no one will be surprised,” said Salido. “I know I belong among the elite in the world at featherweight and look forward to been a world champion for a long time”

“I am very happy to finally get the opportunity to regain my world title and to show everyone that I am still the best featherweight in the world and that what happened last April was just a bad night,” said Lopez. “I will make my Puerto Rican fans proud on March 10.”

Salido (37-11-2, 25 KOs), from Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, México, is a two-time featherweight champion. A professional fighter for 15 years, Salido captured the International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight crown in 2010, dethroning defending champion Cristobal Cruz winning an exciting split decision and avenging his previous split decision world title loss to Cruz in 2008. After losing the title to undefeated superstar Yuriorkis Gamboa via a 12-round decision, also in 2010, Salido has been on a mission to seek and destroy, winning all three of his 2011 fights by knockout, including the WBO featherweight title from Lopez, and a title defense against Kenichi Yamaguchi.

Lopez (31-1, 28 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, returns to the ring for this rematch fresh from winning the the WBO Latino featherweight belt, via a second round knockout of Michael Oliver, Jr., in October. The pride of Puerto Rico has won 18 of his previous 20 fights by knockout, with the he only blemish, his eighth-round TKO loss to Salido last April. Lopez earned his first world title by knocking out defending WBO junior featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in the first round of their June 2008 fight. After five successful title defenses – four by knockout – he vacated the title and successfully challenged WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano, stopping him in the seventh round, on January 28, at Madison Square Garden. He successfully defended his featherweight crown with an exciting second-round TKO of the Manny Pacquiao-managed contender Bernabe Concepcion and an eighth-round TKO of two division world champion Rafael Márquez.

Garcia (27-0, 23 KOs), from Oxnard, Calif., makes his Puerto Rico debut having won 11 of his past 12 bouts by knockout. Considered to be one of boxing’s top young prospects, Garcia, 24, returns to the ring fresh from a career-best year in 2011, knocking out previously undefeated contender Matt Remillard in the 10th round last March to capture his NABF and NABO title belts, as well as Rafael Guzman and Juan Carlos Martinez, both in the fourth round, in title defenses. Trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed by his brother Robert Garcia, the former IBF junior lightweight champion, Garcia is currently world-rated No. 1 by the WBA, No. 2 by the WBC, No. 3 by the WBO.

Victor Ortiz’ personal triumph in his dramatic upset of Andre Berto re-affirms an increasingly forgotten fundamental. Defeat is important. It’s an opportunity, one that now confronts Juan Manuel Lopez.

Lopez finds himself where Ortiz was nearly two years ago. With his stunning loss to Orlando Salido Saturday, Lopez has fallen from the undefeated ranks, an insulated niche, and into the harsh, unforgiving light that forces a fighter to question himself and endure further questions from everybody else. It’s a final chapter for many, the first in a newborn stardom for a few and perhaps one that Floyd Mayweather Jr. just wants to sidestep.

Unbeaten only means untested. Rocky Marciano retired at 49-0, but it’s hard to find him among history’s top 10 in any all-time ranking.

From this corner’s perspective, defeat is an inescapable rite of passage for fighters with the highest aspirations. It’s also what keeps the public interested. It’s no coincidence that the reported audience of 1.5 million for Ortiz’ welterweight decision over Berto in a unanimous counter to doubts about his courage was HBO’s biggest of the year. The irresistible drama attracted a crowd that gathered for a glimpse at whether there was enough within Ortiz to overcome. There was. He did.

Your turn, JuanMa.

The guess here is that the likable Lopez can and will. It won’t be easy. The Ortiz experience is the freshest example of that. Anguish and anger stood in the way of Ortiz after the 2009 surrender to Marcos Maidana.

Unlike Ortiz, few doubt Lopez’ will. But there are plenty of questions about the featherweight’s commitment. He got too comfortable, perhaps softened and deluded about an illusion of invincibility that comes with an unbeaten record. By now, his marital problems and inattention to training, including a trip to the Philippines for Manny Pacquiao’s birthday party, are well-documented. There also was some arrogance. In a conference call before the Salido loss, Lopez called himself the favorite of Puerto Rican fans.

“With all due respect to Miguel Cotto and Ivan Calderon, both great champions, I feel I am the most popular boxer in Puerto Rico,’’ Lopez said a days before Salido’s eighth-round stoppage forced a reassessment of that claim.

Lopez first step would appear to be a rematch with Salido. There had been plenty of talk with boxing circles about a Lopez showdown with Yuriorkis Gamboa. But promoter Bob Arum pushed aside that possibility until, he said, somebody showed him the money. If Lopez can mature into the committed fighter he is expected to be, that money and perhaps more will be there.

A key to Lopez’ predicted stardom is his personality. Fan-friendly, Arum said. Some, probably many, of those fans might not be as friendly as they had been. But that’s a good thing if Lopez forges himself into the fighter they have always expected.

Those fans will renew that friendship, strengthen it as never before, if Lopez answers their criticism the way Ortiz did.

Ex-Phoenix fighter killed in police shooting
In a sad story, a onetime promising light-heavyweight was killed by Phoenix police early Monday. Robert Charlez, 40, was shot to death while sitting outside of a fence on a freeway overpass. According to police, officers asked Charlez to come down from a bridge across I-10.

Officers shot when Charlez advanced on them with what police said was an article of clothing wrapped around his right hand. According to police, Charlez said he had a gun. A police spokesman told Phoenix media that Charlez “had a simulated weapon in his hand at the time of the shooting.” But it wasn’t clear whether there was a gun or a knife in Charlez’ right hand. According to The Arizona Republic, the police spokesman did not say what the object was.

Charlez’ right hand was powerful. In 1992-93, Charlez scored six knockouts, winning seven fights and losing one, before getting into trouble with the law.

“A good fighter and a nice guy,’’ said Phoenix cornerman Dominic DiGuiseppe, who worked with Charlez at former trainer Willy Borchert’s old gym in west Phoenix.

Notes, quotes, anecdotes
• A NABF title will be at stake and perhaps represent another step toward a shot at a major title for Phoenix super-middleweight Jesus Gonzales (26-1, 14 KOs) on June 4 in front of a hometown crowd at Celebrity Theatre against Henry Buchanan (20-2, 13 KOs).
• And Shane Mosley talks as if he will be facing a much smaller task in Manny Pacquiao on May 7 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand. “Lately, I’ve been dealing with bigger guys, monsters,’’ Mosley told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times during a media day at his training camp. “To have a guy with a smaller frame in front of me this time, he doesn’t intimidate me at all.” Mosley might want to take a second look at Pacquiao. Pacquiao has the legs of a much bigger man. Those legs look like a couple of tree trunks. They are the source of his speed, balance and power.

Orlando Salido won the WBO featherweight title with a stunning upset by scoring an eighth round stoppage over previously undefeated Superstar Juan Manuel Lopez at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Salido was consistently getting through with the right hand over the course of the fight and was definatly in the contest throughout. There were many solid exchanges with the fight really starting to heat up in the third. The first sign of Salido being a tough out for Lopez as the challenger landed a hard staright right that backed up the champion. Lopez quickly answered that by backing up Salido with a combination. In round five, Salido landed a booming right to the jaw the sent Lopez to the canvas and the champ was in a heap of trouble. Lopez was lucky that the knockdown came at the end of the round or he may have been stopped right then and there.

Salido continued to find a home for the right hand but Lopez showed a champions heart by continuing to fire back and get through with solid straight lefts.

In round eight, Salido landed another right hand that sent Lopez reeling all over the ring but this time there was enough time for Salido to stalk and throw some shots that connected and continued to hurt Lopez. Lopez was throwing to the very end but his shots were mostly missing in between battering shots from Salido when the bout was halted at 1:37 of round eight.

Salido, 126 lbs of Ciudad, Mexico is champion with a record of 35-11-2-1 with twenty-three knockouts. Lopez, 125 lbs of Caguas, PR is now 30-1.

Admitting to the severity of the knockdown, Lopez simply stated after the fight, “The punch in the fifth round hurt.”

The stoppage surprised – and angered – many in attendance, as the boos were following by flying beer and water bottles from the pro-Lopez crowd. Lopez echoed the crowd’s displeasure with the ref’s ruling. “[Salido] was hitting me but [Ramirez Jr.] shouldn’t have stopped the fight,” said Lopez. “I was still conscious.”

Proudly hoisting up his belt after the fight, the new champion said, “I came very prepared to fight the No. 1 featherweight in the world. I think the fight was going pretty evenly through the first five rounds but I knew I had to pressure [Lopez] because we were in his hometown.”

Luis Cruz had a couple of anxious moments but he fought well and scored a ten round unanimous decision over late replacement and former world title challenger Martin Honorio in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Cruz built up a nice lead early as Cruz featured precise counter left hooks. Round six saw many wild exchanges that pleased the crowd with the exception of a moment when Cruz was buckled from a pair of right hands from Honorio.

Cruz steadied himself and boxed well for round’s seven through nine. Honorio buckled Cruz early in the final frame from a right to the body but Cruz once again regained his composure and finished up the fight by landing some solid uppercuts and left hands.

Cruz, 129 3/4 lbs of Las Piedras, PR won by scores of 100-90; 98-92; and 96-94 to remain undefeated at 18-0. Honorio, 131 lbs of Mexico City is now 29-6-1.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

ISLA VERDE, Puerto Rico (April 13, 2011) – The four fighters who will compete in this Saturday’s doubleheader on SHOWTIME® (10:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) participated in the final press conference Wednesday at the Verdanza Hotel here.

In the main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, Juan Manuel Lopez (30-0, 27 KOs) will risk his unblemished record and World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title against former International Boxing Federation (IBF) 126-pound titleholder Orlando “Siri’’ Salido (34-11-2, 22 KOs), of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico.

The co-feature from Ruben Rodriguez Coliseo in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, will pit promising, undefeated Luis Cruz (17-0, 14 KOs), of Philadelphia by way of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, versus late substitute and No. 8 IBF contender, Martin “El Brochas’’ Honorio (29-5-1, 15 KOs), of Mexico City, in a 10-round junior lightweight bout. Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc. will promote the doubleheader.

What the fighters had to say:

JUANMA LOPEZ

“I am very excited to be fighting at home and have worked very hard so that I can give my fans as good a fight as I can.

“Salido is a very good fighter. He is strong and will come after me all night long. I have to be smart and try to win as many rounds as I can, but if I hurt him I will go for the knockout.

“The Puerto Rico-Mexico rivalry is one full of tradition and I hope that this fight will become one of the most remembered in the history of these great confrontations between the two countries.”

ORLANDO SALIDO

“This is an opportunity for me to become a world champion away and I look forward to this fight. I expect it to be hard, but with my great preparation I feel that I can win.

“I am not intimidated to come to his home country for this fight. I know what I am capable of doing and I will be ready for war on Saturday.

“Many great fighters from both Mexico and Puerto Rico have been part of this great rivalry and I look forward to having this considered one of the best fights in the history of it.’’

LUIS CRUZ

“I am very happy to be part of this card and that I will be able to showcase my talent to a lot of people as part of the SHOWTIME telecast.

“I have a big responsibility fighting at home and will make my country proud on Saturday night.”

MIGUEL COTTO (Three-time world champion and Cruz’ promoter)

“We know that Luis Cruz is ready for this type of fight. He has trained very hard and will be ready to win.”

MARTIN HONORIO

“I am grateful for this opportunity. A win will put me on the road to another world championship fight.

“I have come all the way here to give it my best and to win this fight. It should be a good fight and I am ready for it.”

For many years when we watched the Boxing at the Olympics we would wonder at the greatness of many of the Cubans, knowing that we’d never see them in the pro game after Fidel
Castro banned professional sports on the Island in the 1950’s. There was a long line of brilliant pugilists who never made the leap Teofilo Stevenson, Felix Savon et al. However in late 2006 news broke that three 2004 Olympics gold medallists had defected whilst in a training camp in Venezuela. One of them was Yuriorkis “El Ciclon de Guantánamo” Gamboa. He moved quickly impressing fans and media alike with his blinding hand speed and crowd pleasing offensive skills that set him apart from the rest. While the rule of thumb with most Cubans is that they are by and large stylists, whereas Gamboa is far more aggressive and looks for the KO. After just 2 years in the pro ranks Gamboa won the WBA featherweight title, after 3 successful defences he added the IBF crown to his list of achievements. Next up for Gamboa is Jorge Solis on 26 March in Atlantic City. If Gamboa beats Jorge Solis on 26 March in Atlantic City, NJ a fight with Puerto Rican star Juanma Lopez will be one step closer. It is hoped that the two who seem to be on a collision course will meet later in 2011. For now Gamboa 29, will focus his attention on Solis and look to improve his 19-0(15) record. Here’s what Gamboa had to say.

Hello Yuriorkis, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Firstly in your last fight you won the IBF Featherweight title when you beat Orlando Salido. What can you tell us about the fight & how happy were you with that performance?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – At this stage of my career every fight is special and fights are getting harder and harder because the opponents are getting stronger and stronger. Salido was a world champion like me. I knew he would come to fight and that he wouldn’t just hand over his belt to me. I think it was a good fight. I know that I still have room for improvement. Together with my trainer Ismael Salas I am analyzing every fight very closely. We are both perfectionists so we always want to look better in the next fight.

Anson Wainwright – Chris John is the WBA “Super” Featherweight champion it has been said that you may both fight this year, can you tell us about developments with that fight? If that fight didn’t come off do you have a plan B?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – There are talks about a lot of fights. I think there are many great possible fights out there in the division right now. Chris John is always an interesting option. For the moment I fully focus on my next opponent Jorge Solis from Mexico. I will face him on March 26th in Atlantic City. I expect a very tough fight again against a strong opponent.

Anson Wainwright – Word is that if both you & JuanMa Lopez win your next fights you could fight in possibly 2011. What do you think of that fight & how do you rate Lopez?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – I always said that I want to fight JuanMa. To prove that I am the best in the world I have to beat the best and JuanMa is surely a great champion and one of the toughest guys out there. But I will show him that he’s not tough enough for me when we finally meet in the ring.

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

Yuriorkis Gamboa – Ahmet Oner has been my promoter since I started my professional career back in 2007. He brought me to where I am right now and I thank him for all he’s done for me. He also helped me to reunite with my former amateur coach Ismael Salas who is very important for me. I always knew that I would be a champion at the professionals like I have been champion at the amateurs. But I also felt that Ismael was sort of a missing piece. When I started working with him again I knew nobody could stop me or us as a team. On the promotional side we are also working with Top Rank. They are very experienced and know how to turn fantastic fighters into worldwide superstars like they have done it with Oscar De La Hoya or now with Manny Pacquiao. I live and train in Miami but Ismael is also always looking for different training camps to prepare me perfectly for every single fight.

Anson Wainwright – You were born in Guantanamo, Cuba can you tell us about how things were growing up there & how you first became interested and took up Boxing?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – Growing up in Cuba is totally different from living and growing up in the USA. We didn’t have a lot of opportunities and were very limited in our freedom. Still we managed to get along and were always happy. My father, who also is a very important part of my time now after he left Cuba, was a very good amateur boxer. I followed him to the gym and started hitting the sandbags. I wanted to be like him. That’s how I fell in love with the sport.

Anson Wainwright – You had a fantastic amateur career in which you won a Gold medal at the 2004 Olympics & a bronze at the 2005 World Championships. Can you tell us about those tournaments & other you won? Also what current pro’s did you fight & what was your final record in the amateur’s?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – As a Cuban amateur boxer losing is not an option. Whenever you enter a tournament you enter it to win it. Of course, winning the Olympic gold was still very special. It makes you very proud when you achieve something great for yourself and your country. I knew that the world was watching and it made me feel great that I could live up to the expectations and win the tournament. I think some of the guys I beat at the amateurs turned pro. My opponent in the Olympic final was Jerome Thomas from France. I heard he’s fighting professionally now, too, but I think he only had a couple of fights so far. I always meet people who I know from the amateur times every now and then.

Anson Wainwright – For you how is life different living in Miami than what it was in Cuba?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – You cannot compare living in the United States to living in Cuba. It is just completely different. But I am happy that I was able to reunite with a lot of Cuban friends in Miami. It feels great to live here.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us from your point of view how you came about deciding to defect from Cuba and going pro?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – Actually we hadn’t exactly planned it very thoroughly. It just happened when we got the chance to leave the team. My main problem was that I didn’t feel worshiped. We had won Olympic gold for our country but I didn’t even have enough money to buy a birthday present for my daughter. I asked myself: Why should I stay in a country where the ruling class doesn’t care about me even though I represent my country in the best possible way? It just didn’t seem to make any sense.

Anson Wainwright – Since you, Bhartelemy & Solis left several other like Lara, Rigondeaux etc have joined you. You will know several of the current top Cuban fighters. What one’s in your opinion would make the transition to the pro’s successfully if they were given the chance?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – At the moment there are a lot of great Cuban fighters showing their talent at the pros. And our fans are supporting us very well. Rigondeaux is already world champion, Lara and Solis are on their best ways and there are still a lot of young hungry guys coming up like Johnson, Dorticos, and I have signed some exceptional talents for my own promotional company: My brother Yoelvis, Humberto Savigne and Sullivan Barrera. There are a lot of excellent Cuban fighters who are ready to take over professional boxing.

Anson Wainwright – You have been on the canvas in a couple of your fights and people have questioned your chin. What are your feelings on this?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – As I said before, Ismael Salas and I are analyzing every fight very carefully. If you look at the so called knockdowns you will see that my chin is not the problem. The problem has always been that I have been caught off balance. That is something we are certainly working on.

Anson Wainwright – Away from Boxing what do you like to do? What are your hobbies, interests? What other sports do you follow and what are your teams you support?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – I love boxing. That’s why I founded my own stable in Gamboa Promotions. I am fascinated by the sport as well as by the business side of it. Apart from that I like music and cars and I love to spend my time with my family and friends. That is what is most important to me.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for your fans and perhaps the people in Cuba?

Yuriorkis Gamboa – I want to thank all my fans for supporting me and I can only tell every boxing fan in the world to keep a close eye at ‘El Ciclon’. I will continue to work very hard to meet the expectations of all of my fans. I want to entertain all the people who love boxing as much as I do. Thank you.

Thanks for your time Yuriorkis, keep up the hard work, it’s always entertaining to see you fight.

Anson Wainwright

15rounds.com

Weekend Musings – I’ve heard from several sources that Odlanier Solis is in terrific shape ahead of his shot at Vitali Klitschko this weekend. I spoke to Middleweight star David Lemieux who was in camp with Solis. He told me Solis has lost around 30 pounds, he joked with me that he said to Solis that he had Liposuction! Solis has always had the talent but it looked like he lacked the desire to get himself into his optimum condition. If he has got himself into the best possible shape he could cause Vitali some problems this weekend…So Nonito Donaire has left Top Rank for Golden Boy, seems “The Cold War” is burning stronger than ever…After winning last weekend Miguel “Titere” Vazquez could be back defending his title in June I’m told. I hope he’s kept active, as he’s not the most known of fighters and he needs to be kept busy to raise his profile…Alejandro Gonzalez Jr 5-0-1(0) has signed with Ricky Mota and will fight on the undercard of his stable mate Giovani Segura’s rematch with Ivan Calderon. Gonzalez is just 18, fights at Bantamweight. He’s also the son of former WBC Featherweight champion of the same name. It’s hard to believe it was over 15 years ago that “Cobrita” had that terrific war with Kevin Kelley…Word is the much anticipated clash between former team mates turned bitter rivals James Degale-George Groves will take place on 21 May, for Degale’s British title & Groves Commonwealth crown. There is genuine animosity between the two, they hate each other nearly as much as Top Rank & Golden Boy!

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, World Featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez will defend his title against former champion Orlando Salido in Lopez native homeland of Puerto Rico and the bout will be televised on Showtime.

” ‘Juanma’ is one of the top four television fighters today. He makes great fights,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “No matter who he is in with, you’re going to be entertained. We’re at a great arena in Puerto Rico that will have 8,000 to 10,000 people and I think it will be a good evening all around.”

“I think it’s a tough fight for Juanma,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “Salido is a really solid, durable guy. Yuriorkis Gamboa had to work really hard to get past him and with this fight we will be able to see comparatively where the two hot, young featherweights are. Salido is going to be there all night. Juanma is really going to have to work for it.”

“Salido is a hard-nosed, grizzled Mexican with a great chin and good power [and] this could be his last shot at a title,” Moretti said. “And Juanma has been known to catch better sometimes than fellow Puerto Rican Jorge Posada.”

Said Salido: “It’s a tough fight, but for me it’s an opportunity to win a title belt and become a world champion again.”

“It’s going to be a measuring stick on where both of them stand against each other, so what Juanma has to protect against is fighting the guy and thinking, ‘I gotta look good. Can I knock him out? Do I get out of my game plan just to prove a point because Gamboa went the distance with him?’

“There’s a feel for when it’s ready to go,” DuBoef said. “I think sometimes there’s a road map and sometimes it’s a sixth sense when it’s time to match them up. We’re working to get there with these guys and to make this as big as it can be. We’re creating a business around both guys. Lopez is more advanced in that sense because he’s become a big draw, especially in Puerto Rico. But we’re working on it with Gamboa. There is something naturally that happens where fighters are on two independent paths and they eventually merge into one, and the fight happens.”

Last Saturday, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING delivered an unforgettable doubleheader: Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rafael Marquez & Allan Green vs. Glen Johnson.

Don’t miss a replay of Saturday night’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast, TOMORROW, Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 10p on SHO2!

Lopez, coming in as the young champion with a questionable chin, silenced the critics with a career-defining performance. Battling through Marquez’ hellacious onslaught, Lopez retaliated with his own signature power shots and retained his WBO Featherweight World Championship with an 8th round TKO—the 27th KO of his 30-fight career.

Johnson, a veteran at 41-years old, out worked the younger Green (31) to capture the last coveted Semifinal spot in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. His knockout win shook up the tournament standings by vaulting Johnson into a tie for second place with Arthur Abraham. Abraham meets fourth-place Carl Froch on Saturday, Nov. 27 to determine the seeding for the Semifinals

Juan Manuel “Juanma” Marquez is a very strong featherweight. In the ring, the Puerto Rican has the power of two men. How do we know this? Because he managed to wobble two guys, Saturday, with the force of his left hook.

Trouble was, one of those guys was Lopez himself. The other, of course, was Mexican Rafael Marquez who challenged Lopez for the WBO featherweight title at MGM Grand in the main event of a standard-setting episode of Showtime’s “Championship Boxing.” Lopez prevailed by technical knockout when Marquez was unable to continue.

As the bell rang to begin the ninth round, Marquez waited long enough for Lopez to drop to his knees at center ring in celebration, and then Marquez rose from his stool and walked across the canvas touching his right shoulder with his left glove. Afterwards, Marquez would say his shoulder was too weak to raise his right hand. Should we believe him?

Damn right we should.

Forget Marquez’s pedigree. Forget his participation in one of the greatest trilogies in boxing history with Israel Vazquez. Consider, instead, where Marquez’s prized weapon was all night. The right cross, a punch Marquez used in a reign of terror over the bantamweight division for six years, was nowhere to be found in his fight with Lopez.

At the end of the second round, in fact, I asked my notebook a rhetorical question about it: “For some reason, Marquez doesn’t see any available right hands against a southpaw?”

Then the third round happened. Lopez, a larger man than Marquez, threw a short left cross from his southpaw stance that caught Marquez on the forehead. Marquez was off-balance when the punch landed and much more so after. He stumbled backwards across the ring, found his balance, planted and threw a right cross at Lopez’s onrushing jaw.

No he didn’t. Actually, Marquez found his balance, planted, cocked his right hand in front of his shoulder and pushed the weight of his body behind it. A first occasion of what became a regular occurrence in the fight: Marquez using Lopez’s own force to supply power. Lopez obliged, running into Marquez’s pushed right glove and halting a bit. The next round was more interesting still.

Rafael Marquez, much like his older brother Juan Manuel, struggles a bit against men who fight taller than he does. Accomplished as Los Hermanos Marquez are – probably prizefighting’s best brother tandem of all time – neither ducks punches well as he does everything else. Both put their chins in predictable places.

Marquez, then, would repeatedly duck Lopez’s lead right hook and drop his head to the red and black Dodge insignia on the waistband of Lopez’s trunks. While he was down there, though, he had occasion to make a surprising discovery: Lopez’s right glove, too, was even with that Dodge insignia.

How long do you think it took a fighter of Marquez’s caliber to realize that if Lopez’s right glove was even with his waistband, Lopez’s head was completely unguarded?

Quickly Marquez began to drop his shoulders, duck Lopez’s right hand, shift his shoulders leftward and rise on the other side – making a backwards U. Once there, he countered Lopez with light left hooks – light because, remember, despite Marquez’s Mexico City upbringing, he is a Nacho Beristain fighter, not a Julio Cesar Chavez knockoff, and so the left hook is not his Sunday punch.

But Lopez had another tactical mishap to complement his low lead hand. Annoyed more than deterred by Marquez’s counter hooks, Lopez began to square his feet and fire a left hook of his own behind his missed right hook. Now, lead hand low, Lopez entered in to a left-hooking contest with one of the best Mexican prizefighters in a generation. He’s lucky he survived it.

In round four, Marquez waited for Lopez’s lead right hook, made his U and threw his left hook. Lopez supplied half the power of the punch by snapping himself leftward with a hook of his own. Marquez’s hook landed first, and Lopez wobbled, eyes wide. Then Marquez pushed a right cross that knocked him into the ropes, and a fight ensued.

That was the end of the drama, if not the suspense. Lopez returned to his corner after the round, got a hold of himself and effectively put the left hook away. He began to throw left crosses, as he should have been doing all the while. Then he closed space, walked the smaller man down and began to brutalize Marquez. Within six minutes, order was restored, and Lopez ground Marquez to dust.

Marquez would not have finished the fight even if he hadn’t canceled it himself. Lopez was too big and too good. The question was not why Marquez stopped things after the eighth round but why he entered the ring in the first place.

“It had hurt me before (in training), but I didn’t want to cancel the fight another time,” Marquez said about a match he had already postponed once because of a hand injury. “But in the fourth and the fifth rounds, I couldn’t throw punches.”

Marquez then said as soon as his shoulder was better, he would like a rematch. He’s entitled to it, but: Shoulder and hand injuries in a 35-year-old’s training camp are Life speaking in short, declarative sentences about age.

And here’s a short, interrogative sentence for Juanma Lopez: What if those Marquez left hooks had come from Yuriorkis Gamboa?

Gamboa is a natural featherweight slugger who loads up on left hooks. Marquez, meanwhile, was a natural bantamweight whose best weapon was not a left hook. And yet look what Marquez did.

Bob Arum, who promotes both Lopez and Gamboa, says we may get the answer to that interrogative sentence in June. Until Saturday, frankly, I’d have bet the house on Juanma against Gamboa. But after Saturday, I’m filled with doubt.

Bart Barry can be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com. Additionally, his book, “The Legend of Muhammad Ali,” co-written with Thomas Hauser, can be purchased here.

LAS VEGAS — It wasn’t a defining moment. For the fighter known simply as JuanMa, that will have to wait. JuanMagnifico, he wasn’t.

But JuanMature he might become after a bruising battle Saturday night at the MGM Grand that ended with Rafael Marquez unable to continue after the eighth round because of an injury to his right shoulder.

After early dominance, Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) fought through trouble, recovered and reasserted himself to stay undefeated in defense of his featherweight crown, the World Boxing Organization’s version of the 126-pound title. The 27-year-old Lopez had the crowd chanting his name – JuanMa, JuanMa — in the opening rounds and again in the end for the stinging power in his hands and the young legs that carried him into trouble, out of it and finally up the ladder to stardom. Early on, JuanMa smiled and gestured at the crow, which included boyhood idol Felix Trinidad, as though he thought he was in for an easy night. His hands were faster; his legs younger. At the end of the first round, JuanMa bounced a succession of punches off Marquez (39-6, 35 KOs) at the rate of a pinball. After the bell sounded, he turned, smiled at his corner and waved his gloved hands in front of him as if to say it would end quickly. For the next two rounds, there was nothing to change his mind.

In the third, a short left hand from the left-handed Puerto Rican sent Marquez stumbling half way across the ring and into the ropes. How tough could it be? Turns out, very tough. The experienced Marquez caught Lopez with a head-rocking counter seconds after it looked as he might be finished in the third. In the fourth, the 35-year-old Mexican began to put together punches that looked like a lesson plan. Suddenly, JuanMa’s early success began to look like a mirage. Left-handed counters left JuanMa looking dazed, yet still on his feet.

“It’s going to happen,’’ JuanMa said. “”You get hit. He gets hit. He has tremendous power.’’

Translation: JuanMa endured that part of the lesson and survived, although his youth showed for a moment. He was penalized a point by referee Tony Weeks for hitting Marquez on the back of the head. He argued with Weeks after the round ended.

But the frustration dissipated as quickly as Marquez’ chances. Marquez began to look his old. That might have been because of an unspecified injury. “I was hurt before the fight,’’ said the Mexican great, whose thumb injury in August forced the fight to be postponed from Sept. 18. Marquez said he hurt his right shoulder in the third round. After the eighth, he told his corner about the injury.

“I can’t move it,’’ Marquez said he told trainer Daniel Zaragoza. Zaragoza asked him if would have to stop the fight. Then, somebody touched Marquez shoulder. He winced. The pain was evident. “I can’t go,’’ Marquez told Zaragosa. The injury happened sometime in the third round, said Marquez, who said it limited his ability to throw punches. “I couldn’t punch the way I always do,’’ he said, “If I could have I would have won the fight.’’

Marquez seemed to be saying that he wanted a rematch. Against a JuanMature, that might be a tough sequel.

Johnson scores 8th-round TKO over Green

It took a sub to make another one look sub-par. Glen Johnson made Alan Green look like a sub sandwich in the super-middleweight’s Super Six Classic Saturday night at the MGM Grand. Green went down easily against an older and much tougher Johnson.

The 41-year-old Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KOs), who looked more comfortable at 168 pounds than he has at light heavyweight (175), threw right hands early, later and almost at will. The 31-year-old Green (29-3, 10 KOs) had no counter, no defense and not much else other than perhaps a quick shuffle out of the Showtime tournament. Like hammer to nail, Johnson’s right hand finished the job at 36 seconds of the eighth round when at least two rights put Green down.

“ I knew that eventually he would move into a position where I could really land those punches,’’ said Johnson, whose fight-ending blows crashed off of Green’s left temples As he tried to get up, referee Robert Byrd looked and saw shaky legs, unsteady feet and uncertain eyes. Byrd had seen enough. As Byrd waved his arms, Green there was a hint of relief in his dazed eyes, even though he was leading on two of three scorecards. Judges Jerry Roth and Dick Houck had Green leading, 67-66. Johnson led, 68-65, on Burt Clements’ card. En route to his TKO victory, Johnson delivered an early message, a wicked overhand right, in the first round that must have told Green that next time he should try to get into a different kind of tournament. Table tennis, anyone? Green, Johnson’s longtime friend, backpedaled until there was nowhere to go. There was no refuge in retreat. Only the ropes. That’s where Green found himself near the end of third. Johnson caught him once in the back of the head.

Then, he followed with the right hand that already had displayed its power. The bell ended the round. But Green was in trouble. He stumbled in search of his stool. It was only a matter of time before he would find only defeat and an exit from the Super Six.
Knockouts are early theme on JuanMa-Marquez undercard

Derrick Campos (20-10, 11 KOs), a super-featherweight from Topeka, Kan., got up, close and personal with the canvas. Unbeaten Diego Magdaleno (17-0, 5 KOs) of Las Vegas made sure of it a in bout that was part of Showtime’s international telecast. Magdaleno put Campos down three times in four rounds. A left-right sent Campos tumbling in the final second of the first. A right hook sent down again in the third and encore right at 15 seconds of the fourth ended it.

Knockouts were the early story. Through the first three fights, they were the only story. The biggest was delivered by Washington D.C. lightweight Daniel Attah (25-6-1, 9 KOs), whose right hook at 1:55 of the second round almost sent Mexican Marvin Quintero (20-3, 16 KOs) skipping across the canvas like a flat stone on a pond. It took several minutes before Quintero could walk under his own power. He was helped onto stool at the center of the ring where he sat, dazed, while his corner men try to tell him what had happened. He was unconscious at the moment Attah’s right landed.

Attah only took a little bit longer than Jesse Magdaleno and McWilliams Arroyo did in the first two fights of the untelevised part of a card featuring featherweights Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez.

In the night’s opener, Arroyo (5-1, 4 KOs), a Puerto Rican flyweight, won a by TKO at 2:55 of the first round over Mexican Cesar Grajeda (7-2, 1 KO,).

Magdaleno (1-0, 1 KO), a Las Vegas super-featherweight, won his debut with a TKO at 1:38 of the first over Matthew Salazar (1-3-1, 0 KOs) of Albuquerque.

The judges finally had some say-so in the night’s fourth fight, won by Las Vegas welterweight Anthony Lenk (8-1, 4 KOs), who scored a 6-round unanimous decision over formerly-unbeaten Danny Escobar (6-1, 5 KOs) of Riverside, Calif.

In the last fight before the card moved onto the Showtime stage, Cleveland lightweight Mickey Bey stayed unbeaten (16-0, 8 KOs) with a 6-round,unanimous decision over Erick Cruz (7-6-3, 7 KOS), a Puerto Rican who was on his knees in the second after he was rocked by a right-left combo.

LAS VEGAS – In a gambling Mecca full of whispered tips and inside information, there’s talk that Juan Manuel Lopez is worried. Only a fool wouldn’t be.

Lopez’ advertised potential as the face of boxing’s next generation of stars is about to be tested as it never has Saturday night at the MGM Grand in a dangerous encounter with one of the masters of the reigning generation. Rafael Marquez stands in his way, perhaps as formidable as ever and still feared by many.

There was no sign of fear in JuanMa at the weigh-in Friday or the final news conference Thursday. His charisma is as powerful as his punch. It knocks out everything else, including any hints of self-doubt.

He and Marquez left no doubt they were ready for the Showtime-televised clash Friday when stepping onto the official scale, both at 125.5 pounds, a half-pound under the featherweight division’s limit. They posed. They stared. The weigh-in ritual didn’t include a single blink or smile. Only potential fury waits in a fight that will result in more punches and fewer headlines than anything produced by jockeys Calvin Borel and Javier Castellano Friday in a Breeders Cup brawl at Churchill Downs.

But there were a couple of words Thursday, mostly from Lopez, who is defending his World Boxing Organization title. Marquez has seen film of Lopez, down in the opening round against Bernabe Concepcion, who will never be confused with Marquez. For the deliberate Marquez, that moment represents a weakness that has seen and exploited often. He mentioned it and Lopez countered.

“I read that the team of Rafael Marquez said that I have no chin,’’ said Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs), a 27-year-old Puerto Rican. “But the one who is undefeated is me. I know he has won a few fights by knockout, but on Saturday night you’ll see who really can take a punch and who can’t.’’

Lopez suggested that Marquez promoter Gary Shaw annoyed him by saying he had to prove himself against the 35-year-old Mexican (39-5, 35 KOs), who is the brother of better-known Juan Manuel Marquez.

“Shaw told me: ‘If you’re so good how come you don’t fight Rafael,’ ‘’ Lopez said. “I’m so good I’m going to beat Rafael Marquez on Saturday.”

The 35-year-old Marquez sounded as if he has experienced enough, learned more than enough, to withstand any storm.

“I will show that I can beat anyone at any point in their career,’’ said Marquez, whose bruising series with Israel Vazquez has left some wondering if he there is anything left of the brilliant bantamweight he was in his prime. “Experience and talent will beat youth. …Hard work and preparation will beat youth anytime.’’

Although there were no surprises on the scale from either Lopez or Marquez, there were a couple from super-middleweights Allan Green and Glen Johnson, tournament subs who will fight for a chance to advance to the semifinals of the shuffled Super Six.

Glen Johnson, who has been campaigning at light-heavyweight (175) for years, easily made the weight at 167, one pound under the 168 limit.

“I thought making the weight would be more difficult,’’ Johnson said. “I was at weight two weeks ago, so that was surprising.’’

In making weight, trainer Orlando Cuellar said Johnson might have learned something that could have worked a few years ago.

“I know a lot of people were concerned if he could make ‘68, much less be effective at ’68,’’ Cuellar said. “I guess you all get to find out Saturday. But if it is any indication what he has done at the gym I think he is faster, lighter on his feet. I think we discovered that maybe he should have been at this weight a few fights back.’’

For Green, the weigh-in wasn’t so easy. He was a half-pound too heavy in his first trip to the scale. In a quick strip-tease, Green stepped behind a blanket, took off his shorts and made the mandatory 168.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

This Saturday, Las Vegas, Nevada will be host to yet another installment in the long line of Puerto Rican versus Mexican fights. For long, the two countries have battled it out in the lower weight classes and the rivalry has given us plenty of classic and exciting fights. True, there have been some duds in the process (everyone would have liked to see Camacho fight more against Chávez instead of simply surviving) but the upcoming bout for Lopez’s WBO featherweight strap should be explosive while it lasts.

Both fighters carry more than enough pop to really hurt each other and both have a tendency to slug it out even when their boxing would fare better. Going into the first of his four fight extravaganza against Israel Vázquez, Márquez was deemed slightly better in terms of technique; still he would not back down from any exchanges throughout the four bouts that ended in two wins a piece. Against Silence Mabuza, Marquez also got in brawls where his boxing could have carried him to a victory without receiving as much leather. For a boxer of his pedigree, the fact that he has been stopped four out of the five times he has lost is proof enough that he is susceptible to getting knocked out.

Similarly, López tends to leave his chin out in the open and trade at times when there’s no need for it unless you call getting the crowd to their feet a “need”. Against journeyman Rogers Mtagwa, López easily dominated the first rounds but gradually fell into Mtagwa’s fight and had to survive the final two rounds out on his feet. Not only was he tired and hurt, he appeared unable to throw punches and stay up on his feet at the same time. Still, Juan-Ma would only clinch in the final round, a round that was correctly scored by many as a 10-8 round despite there being no knockdowns. In his latest outing, López had to get off the canvas in round one against to stop his out powered Bernabé Concepción in round two.

But enough about each fighter’s weaknesses. Their fortes are what will make for a spectacular bout. Both fighters bring an 89 percent knockout ratio into the fight. And these knockouts haven’t come against tomato cans and have beens. López’s (29-0, 26KO’s) resume includes stoppage victories over Daniel Ponce de Leon, Gerry Peñalosa and Steven Luevano. Ponce de León hasn’t lost since, and Peñalosa and Luevano both retired having only been stopped by López. Failing to hear the final bell against Márquez (39-5, 35KO’s) are Mark Johnson in their second fight, Israel Vázquez in their first and fourth matches and Tim Austin among others. Johnson wouldn’t get knocked out again for over two years and Austin would only get stopped in his last fight, three years after and way past his prime.

Both fighters are sound technicians and have great form in their boxing. Márquez may have an edge in the stamina department as he has proven he can fight twelve hard rounds while López has a tendency to loose power and form as the fight progresses. The Puerto Rican southpaw likes to punch first and can put two and three punches together very well while the two division Mexican champion is an excellent counter puncher who can land combos impressively well while staying in the pocket.
Although boxrec.com lists López with advantages in height and reach, these are minimal and when face to face, Márquez seemed the taller of the two. Still, at 126 lbs., López seems like the bigger man going into the fight.

Márquez has only fought twice at the featherweight limit. First against José Francisco Mendoza and then his fourth fight against Vázquez. He stopped both of them in the third round but Mendoza wasn’t on his level and too little of Vázquez was left for that fight to properly judge his performance at an elite level in the division. The Puerto Rican’s record at the weight consists of having stopped Luevano for the belt and a defense against Concepción. Against both men, López seemed the much stronger fighter and Luevano specifically was almost unable to hurt him.

Had this fight taken place a few years back, in a lower weight division or before Márquez had taken so much punishment, odds makers wouldn’t have López close to the three to one favorite he is right now. But the time is now, the weight is 126 lbs. and Márquez has fought 28 rounds with Israel Vázquez. If the Mexican veteran can’t hurt Juan-Ma or falls behind during the first half of the fight, he will most likely get stopped. If he can keep the fight even going into the final four rounds he’ll add another name to his already Hall of Fame worthy career.

For López, it remains to be seen if he can keep this fight in familiar territory. As a friend of mine wisely noted, the young champion has yet to enter the seventh round of a fight behind on the score cards or worse yet, loosing the physical aspect of the fight. Still, a superb straight left combined with a short tight right hook give López very good odds at hurting Márquez early on and a cut or swollen Márquez going into the seventh probably won’t make it to the final bell. Juan-Ma has to keep his composure and work off his jab if he wants to keep the “o” at the end of his record.

After much thought, I’ll say López wins by late TKO.

LAS VEGAS – After a dark month that didn’t include much more than the sad spectacle of watching Shannon Briggs endure a terrible beating from Vitali Klitschko, November dawns with fighters and a fight, Juan Manuel Lopez-versus-Rafael Marquez, with all of the elements that have been missing in action.

Lopez, a Puerto Rican, and Marquez, a Mexican, haven’t said much. They haven’t had to.

A Fight-of-the- Year possibility is real in a featherweight bout at the MGM Grand on Showtime Saturday night in a classic confrontation at the crossroads. There’s the 35-year-old old Marquez in a battle to extend his career before turning toward a retirement that is destined to take him into the Hall of Fame. In the opposite corner, there is the 27-year-old Lopez, who is eager to just move into a position that one day might allow him to be where Marquez is now.

“Without a doubt, I know he’s coming to prove that he’s still at the same level,’’ the fighter best known as JuanMa said on a conference call. “I’m out to prove that I’m at the same level he’s at. …I can’t see how it will not be a good fight. We both have a lot to prove. We’re willing to give up everything in the ring.”

Like any good fight, plenty of intrigue is offered by a collection of subplots. Lopez-Marquez looks as if it will be another chapter in a rivalry, Puerto Rico-versus-Mexico, as rich in tradition as any. Flags will fly. So, too, will the fists, some of which promise to result in knockdowns. Playing-it-safe is Chad Dawson’s game, which has never been played by JuanMa.

The unbeaten lefthander (29-0, 26 KOs) has been down, off his feet in the first round against Bernabe Concepcion and victorious in the second. Lopez courts trouble, which is part of the attraction. If the danger isn’t there and always imminent, there’s no reason to watch.

“I see how strong and powerful he is,’’ Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) said. “But I also see his weaknesses. I see that he has a weak chin. So we have to take advantage of that and put our punches together and use a lot of combinations. I have to use all of my experience and all of my power and all my intelligence in the ring to get to him. It’s a winnable fight, no question.’’

From this seat, Lopez-Marquez looms as the best of a loaded Holiday card, which includes Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex., the Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez rematch on Nov. 20 in Atlantic City, Juan Manuel Marquez-Michael Katsidis on Nov. 27 and Amir Kahn-Marcos Maidana on Dec. 11.

There’s plenty on the plate, almost too much. Pacquiao’s crossover celebrity – he’s an intercontinental star – takes away some of the attention on Lopez-Marquez, which would have captured more of the headlines if it had happened on Sept. 18. But a postponement was forced by an inadvertent injury suffered by Marquez, who hurt his thumb in a car door. But it’s the first in a revival after a recession, an Octoberflop. After it’s all over, I suspect first will rank as the best.

It’s a lot easier to pick Lopez-Marquez as a Fight-of-the-Year contender than it is to pick a winner. Lopez has never encountered anybody with Marquez experience, smarts and instincts. Like his brother Juan Manuel, Rafael has a predatory eye for weaknesses and there are many in Lopez’ aggressive pursuit.

But there also are haunting questions about Marquez. How much is left? His battles with Israel Vazquez were as bruising as they are memorable. There had to be price. It was evident in May that Vazquez had paid in full when he fell within four rounds against Marquez. The bout hinted at two possibilities:

A) — With the victory, Marquez proved he has a lot more left than some thought.

B) — He looked so good simply because Vazquez is beyond his prime.

If it’s B, JuanMa moves forward on a path to the kind of Puerto Rican stardom enjoyed by his idol, Felix Trinidad.

If it’s A, expect a rematch.

The hunch here is that Lopez will temper some of his aggressiveness and win a late-round stoppage against an aging Marquez in a contender for Fight of the Year, which is the best pick of all.

NOTES, QUOTES
· It looks as if Filipino Congressman Pacquiao’s political punch is also potent. Five days after endorsing Nevada Senator Harry Reid at a Las Vegas campaign stop, Reid knocked out Republican challenger and tea-party darling Sharron Angle. Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said Pacquiao’s appearance with Reid energized the Filipino and Hispanic vote. Vegas’ Filipino population is about 30,000. The city’s Hispanic community numbers about 130,000. Reid, a Democrat and the Senate’s majority leader, won by about 40,000 votes.

· An order-of-protection filed by Hall of Fame junior-flyweight Michael Carbajal and girlfriend Laura Hall against neighbors Josephine Carbajal, Michael’s niece, and Jose Espinal was upheld Tuesday at a Phoenix hearing. Josephine played a recording in an attempt to show a pattern of domestic abuse at Michael Carbajal’s home. But the recording was discredited in testimony from Hall. The voice of Michael’s son and the barking of his dog were heard on the tape. Neither was in the house at the time Josephine said the recording was made. Michael Carbajal is battling to gain ownership of 12 properties he says were purchased by brother and ex-trainer Danny Carbajal with money he earned in the ring. Danny is in prison for a conviction on charges he stole an estimated $2 million.

· And keep your day job, which is either in the ring, or the Filipino Congress, or both. Wherever it is, it’s not in music. At least, Margarito doesn’t think so. Margarito said he didn’t see Pacquiao join Will Ferrell in a rendition of the Beatles song, Imagine, the other night on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show. Apparently, he didn’t have to. “All I can tell you is that he is a better boxer than he is a singer,’’ Margarito said. “I think maybe he should dedicate himself more to boxing.’’

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

We begin with a Juanma Lopez story. It was January of 2007, and a few of us gathered in a Phoenix Days Inn conference room to hear Tommy Morrison announce his comeback. The press conference was scheduled to begin an hour before it began, but I arrived on time like a fool.

There was one other writer there, and he didn’t speak Spanish, so Top Rank’s Phil Soto motioned towards a group of Puerto Ricans in matching track suits and told me to be the first to interview Juan Manuel Lopez – the day before Juanma’s “ShoBox” debut.

Lopez has acquitted himself splendidly since then, of course, and faces the challenge of his career, Saturday, at MGM Grand against Mexican Rafael Marquez in a fight for Lopez’s WBO featherweight title. But that’s not the point of the story.

That day in the near-empty conference room, I strolled over to the guys in track suits, picked one who looked like a fighter and asked him how he got started in boxing. He was happy to tell me. His dad, or uncle, or somebody, took him to the gym and, why, he loved the sport and was excited to be in Phoenix – his first time. The guy beside him, a little younger and smaller, flashed a wide grin that didn’t leave his face for the next five minutes.

I was out of questions by then and began to move towards a seat from which I could watch Tommy Morrison spin his yarn. That was when the small kid with the big smile told me that, while his friend was indeed a Puerto Rican who loved boxing, he, Juanma, was the guy fighting on Showtime tomorrow, and would I like to ask him any of the same questions?

The following night, after Lopez looked fantastic against Cuauhtemoc Vargas, I hurried to escape an interview with Tommy Morrison. “The Duke” – as some doctor called him in a supposedly official medical document – wouldn’t be making his comeback fight that night because he’d hurt his wrist. This was no less believable than anything else Morrison would say in the months that followed, but it was already too much. I hustled up a back staircase at Dodge Theatre and came to an exit. There was Juanma, patiently knocking. I let him in, and he gave me a hug and told me to remember him because he was going to be a good fighter.

What struck me that week about Juanma Lopez was his poise. He was not in a hurry to become famous by manufacturing some cult-of-personality thing to get on American television. He was not trying too hard, in other words. He was relaxed and confident; he knew he was likable and good, and in time Americans would know that too.

He’s going to need that poise Saturday. The man who comes for his title, Rafael Marquez, has been in bigger fights against better fighters than Lopez has. Marquez has also been in the finest boxing trilogy many have yet witnessed, with Israel Vazquez. His right hand is arguably the most impressive weapon, pound-for-pound, boxing has seen in a generation.

And Lopez, for all his poise, hasn’t got boxing’s best chin. But neither does Marquez. And that’s why folks in the know are so excited about this fight.

When Marquez’s last match was announced, a fourth scrap with Vazquez, in Los Angeles, Marquez fans felt a touch of relief. Vazquez was a man of unmatchable will, but he was also a man with ruined flesh round his eyes. Their guy would cut him up before Vazquez could rend any wills. And that’s exactly what happened in May, though it happened quicker than expected. Vazquez did not last 10 minutes with Marquez.

In the euphoria of that post-fight press conference at Staples Center, Marquez, seated beside trainer Daniel Zaragoza, the man who’d replaced Nacho Beristain, mentioned Juanma Lopez, and we all gave the idea some thought. Far more thought than we might have given the same suggestion two years before – when Marquez was sent reeling across the ring in the 12th round of his third fight with Vazquez and needed 18 months to recover.

The idea of either Marquez or Vazquez moving up four pounds and challenging Lopez was not a serious one, then. It is now.

Lopez, a southpaw, has been felled by lesser men than Marquez. Rogers Mtagwa, a Tanzanian strongman who boxes about as well as Marquez did at age 10, had Lopez out on his feet not too long ago. And after his career’s most impressive showing against Steven Luevano in January, Lopez was in a thrilling match with Filipino Bernabe Concepcion in July. Too thrilling, actually. In two rounds, there were four knockdowns, and Concepcion’s trunks weren’t the only ones cleaning the canvas.

Both Lopez and Marquez can box. Quite well. And both have a tendency not to box until they’re very near unconsciousness. A firefight, you’d think, favors Lopez, the larger of the two men. But we can’t be too sure.

That’s why we’ll watch Showtime, Saturday. But it’s not the only reason. The undercard match, a super-middleweight fight between two subs – Allan Green and Glen Johnson – should be an entertaining way to do something that’s good for us and boxing, too: Support the “Super Six.” Boxing’s best idea has had a rocky go of things lately, so here’s hoping Green-Johnson will be a fitting good-riddance to Andre Dirrell.

The main event, though, is the reason to tune in. Two honest, exciting fighters who are respectful and admired by those who know them. Rumor is, Puerto Rican-versus-Mexican occasionally makes for a decent rivalry, too.

Give us a pick, then? Sure. Good as Marquez is, exciting as a victory by him would necessarily be, he’s not young enough or big enough to stop Lopez. So I’ll take Lopez by 10th-round KO – unless his eagerness runs him into a Marquez right hand.

Bart Barry can be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com. Additionally, his book, “The Legend of Muhammad Ali,” co-written with Thomas Hauser, can be purchased here.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that the September 18th fight between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez that was postponed due to a hand injury to Marquez will now take place on November 6 at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“It’s done, we’re good,” said Gary Shaw, who promotes Marquez. “I talked to the Marquez camp and [Lopez promoter] Top Rank was fine with it. I spoke to [Top Rank president] Todd duBoef about it to get it done.”

“Fortunately, my thumb injury did not prevent me from continuing my conditioning, including running daily,” said Marquez, who proved his durability in an epic four fight series with Israel Vazquez. “I am extremely grateful that my fight with Juan Manuel Lopez was rescheduled so quickly. On November 6, JuanMa and I have a date with destiny. I can’t wait.”

The southpaw Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) is 27-years-old and has been fighting professionally for five years. He is a consensus top-10 pound-for-pound fighter and is widely considered a rising star. A win over Marquez would easily be the most significant of his young career. Conversely, Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) at 35-years-old is well into the second half of a remarkable career. He has fought in 11 world title fights in his 15 years as a pro and he is a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame. A win over Lopez would give him a world title in his third weight division.

“This has become the most important fight of my career,” Marquez said.

“I’m looking forward to showing my skills against a great champion like Rafael Marquez, one of the all-time greats and a future Hall of Famer,’’ Lopez said. “It will be the biggest fight of my career.”

“So far we have just one TV fight, but I’m trying to get [Showtime’s] Kenny [Hershman] to buy another one,” Shaw said. “I have an idea for a very good fight. The question is if Kenny has the money in the budget.”

Shaw said he’d like to match junior middleweight titlist Sergei Dzinziruk, who he co-promotes with Artie Pelullo, against Vanes Martirosyan, who is promoted by Top Rank.

“Ken was not opposed to the fight. It’s a question of money,” Shaw said. “I know Top Rank is fine with making that fight.”

Former WBO Featherweight World Champion Steve Luevano has retired from Boxing according to his manager Cameron Dunkin who said the decision was made late last night. Luevano 29, finishes with a 37-2-1(15) record. He held the title from July 2007 when he claimed the belt on the road in England scoring an impressive eleventh round stoppage over local hero Nicky Cook. He went on to make 5 successful defence’s before losing his crown to JuanMa Lopez in February. Over the summer Luevano was let go from his contract with Top Rank who had promoted him for his entire career. It’s not known what Luevano intends to do next but on behalf of 15rounds.com congratulations on a great career Steven enjoy retirement.