LUEVANO READY TO GIVE JUANMA LOPEZ A BOXING LESSON
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 22 Jan 2010
WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano and his trainer, former world champion Robert Garcia are confident that Luevano can overcome the raw power of challenger and former WBO super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez when they clash at the theater in Madison Square Garden on Sunday morning, Manila Time.
The unbeaten junior featherweight title-holder Juan Manuel Lopez (27-0, 24 KOs) will move up in weight to take on featherweight title-holder Steven Luevano (37-1-1, 15 KOs) while in the co-feature featherweight title-holder and former Cuban Olympic gold medalist Yuriokis Gamboa (16-0, 14 KOs) will meet Rogers Mtagwa (26-13-2, 18 KOs) who had “Juanma” Lopez on the verge of a knockout in a “Fight of the Year” candidate last year at the same venue.
Luevano is a classic boxer and is determined to fight from the outside and out-box Lopez all night long while fight fans are assured of a classic when Gamboa whose charisma, speed and power have made him a genuine attraction meets the rugged Tanzanian Mtagwa whose awesome punching power is bound to be a factor in the fight.
Gamboa will look to put on a more impressive showing against Mtagwa than Lopez did, in the hope that should he and Lopez both win then a big-money showdown between the two undefeated fighters would be a logical event later this year..
Lopez, speaking through an interpreter said “It’s going to be a great fight. It’s one of my dreams to fight for my second world title. I prepared very hard for this fight and I’m ready to go up to 126.”
Luevano, meanwhile, said he appreciated the opportunity. “It’s an honor to fight here at the Garden,” Luevano said. “Come Saturday, I’m going to give it my best, give it my all and still keep my title.”
Trainer Robert Garcia told us that the game-plan of Luevano whose corner will be handled by his Garcia’s father who is also an excellent and experienced trainer will be to frustrate Lopez as the fight goes on and while he knows that “Juanma” is a “very powerful puncher and is going to come to knock out Luevano, he is very smart and when we trained over the past two months and Steven is very, very careful about Juanma’s right hook and I know Steven is going to pull off an upset” against the heavily favored Lopez.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said there’s been a “tremendous response” to Lopez; a fighter Arum said is “fast becoming the biggest star in his country (Puerto Rico)” even as Puerto Rican boxing stars Miguel Cotto who put on a gallant fight before losing his WBO welterweight title to pound-for-pound hero Manny Pacquiao last November and Felix “Tito” Trinidad are also expected to attend the card in support of Lopez. Arum promised a “great, great event on Saturday night” with the fights being telecast in the Philippines by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Studio 23 with a replay on Sunday’s Best over the pre-eminent Channel 2 at 10:45 p.m. and a replay on Studio 23 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on January 29.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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