TALE OF TWO JUAN MANUELS
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 27 Feb 2009
Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Manuel Lopez are now on the boxing headlines when they face separate rivals on different dates. The two great boxers are namesakes and both are deadly fighters. Marquez of Mexico is the number two pound-for-pound fighter of the world second to Manny Pacquiao. Lopez is the undefeated Puerto Rican champion who holds one of the highest knockout rates in professional boxing.
Marquez will next face former WBA IBF and WBO champion Juan Diaz on February 28, 2009 in Houston, Texas. ?Dinamita? at present is The Ring lightweight world champion. He has also held the IBF, WBA, and WBO featherweight titles and the WBC super featherweight title.
In a bout featuring champion vs. champion, WBO junior featherweight titlist ?Juanma? Lopez will face WBO bantamweight king Gerry Pe?alosa on April 25, 2009 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Lopez simply wants to be the first fighter to knockout Pe?alosa. The ?Fearless? has never been knocked out in his far-reaching career.
Marquez earned his first shot at a world title on September 11, 1999, but lost a controversial decision to then-unbeaten WBA featherweight champion Freddie Norwood. He received his second shot at a world title on January 2, 2003, when he defeated Manuel Medina and captured the vacant IBF featherweight title. He then defeated Derrick Gainer later in the year to win the WBA featherweight title.
On May 8, 2004, Marquez fought Pacquiao in a drawn bout where he was knocked down three times in the first round. On March 15, 2008, Marquez lost his superfeatherweight championship to Pacquiao in a rematch via a highly disputed split decision. Compubox scoring had Marquez ahead but he suffered a knockdown in the third round by the vaunted left of Pacquiao.
On March 17, 2007, Marquez became the WBC superfeatherweight champion by outpointing Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas by unanimous decision. On September 13, 2008, he defeated Joel Casamayor by stopping him in the 11th round after two knockdowns and captured his sixth world title in three different weight classes.
Puerto Rico has a rich tradition of great fighters, like Sixto Escobar Jose Chegui Torres, Wilfred Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez, Alfredo Escalera, Wilfredo Vazquez, Esteban DeJesus, Carlos DeLeon, Carlos Ortiz, Edwin Rosario, Hector Camacho, Felix Trinidad, and now Miguel Cotto. And now here comes "Juanma" Lopez, 24-0-0 with 22 KOs and a KO percentage of 91.67%.
On June 7, 2008, Lopez fought in his first world championship match when he challenged Daniel Ponce de Leon for the World Boxing Organization super bantamweight title and won by technical knockout in the first round. Lopez's first defense was against Cesar Figueroa and the fight lasted only 47 seconds, the fifth fastest knockout victory in a title fight, faster than Mike Tyson's win over Michael Spinks.
Medina, who was ranked fourth by the WBO, was his foe in "The Dream Match" card. The fight lasted only 1:38, being stopped by the referee in the first round, when Medina suffered three consecutive knockdowns.
From several boxing experts? point-of-view, the two Juan Manuels have the upper hand against their respective opponents.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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