JUANMA LOPEZ MAY FACE BOOM BOOM BAUTISTA INSTEAD OF HBO TRIPLE HEADER
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 28 Nov 2012
Former WBO superbantamweight and featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez reportedly declined the offer to appear in an HBO triple header on January 19, 2013. He was offered to fight in a supporting undercard for the main event featuring his two-time tormentor WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido against Miguel Angel "Mikey" Garcia at the Madison Square garden, New York. In the other headliner WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will face a fighter still to be determined.
Lopez, who has 31 wins 2 losses with 28 KO wins, may end up finally fighting ALA Gym standout WBO international featherweight champion Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista in a separate pay-per-view match. ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer discussed the fight with WBO president Francisco ?Paco? Valcarcel during the 25th WBO Annual Convention in Florida as reported by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Aldeguer reportedly wanted to promote the fight in Manila. But Team Lopez would like to stage the tussle in Puerto Rico, JuanMa?s territory. Lopez has lost two of his last three fights with both TKO losses dealt by Salido, a battle-tested Mexican warrior.
After his second loss, he accused referees Roberto Ramirez Sr. and Roberto Ramirez Jr., who officiated his first bout with Salido, of being well-known gamblers and criticized them brutally by calling them ?less than honorable men.? These adeverse comments considered as sour-graping caused the suspension of Lopez. But it was lifted on March 2013 by Henry Neumann, Secretary of the Department of Sports in Puerto Rico.
The original planned opponent was fellow Puerto Rican Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. but the fight did not materialize when Vazquez refused to move heavier to 128 pounds and Lopez said it was difficult for him to reduce to the 126 pound featherweight limit. Vazquez would like to ascend from the super bantamweight to the featherweight division.
Bautista has a record of 34-2 with 25 KO wins. He has garnered eight straight wins, six over Mexicans, since losing to Heriberto Ruiz of Mexico by unanimous decision at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada on November 22, 2008. His other loss was contracted by Daniel Ponce de Leon of Mexico, who was defeated by Lopez for the WBO junior featherweight title.
Bautista has one rare opportunity to fight in The World Awaits undercard, when his promoter at the time, Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, allowed him to fight in the undercard of his bout against Floyd Mayweather. On May 5, 2007, in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bautista faced and won over the then undefeated Argentine contender Sergio Manuel Medina by unanimous decision.
Bautista?s last bout was on October 20, 2012 when he won the vacant WBO international crown against Daniel Ruiz of Mexico at the highly successful Pinoy Pride XVII at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City. The Mexican was overweight by three pounds yet Bautista was able to win a split decision.
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