Juan Manuel Lopez: will he survive to fight Gamboa?

By Francisco Hernandez: Juan Manuel Lopez is a fighter beloved by most boxing fans because of his brawling style, his willingness to take chances so that he can punish his opponents. The fighter that Lopez most reminds me of is legend Wilfredo Gomez. Juanma Lopez has boxing skills but his temperament impels him to beat his opponents into oblivion rather than outpoint them comfortably. This is what has gained Lopez such a great following in the boxing world, but it can also be his downfall and end hopes for a fight with Gamboa.

In the featherweight division there are fighters who can hit just as hard and who have a better chin than Lopez. One of these fighters is Lopez’s next opponent Orlando Salido. Salido lost a decision against Yuriorkis Gamboa in his last fight. Gamboa won that fight by refusing to trade with Salido. Lopez is not like Gamboa, he will not be able to resist the temptation of getting into a slugfest with Salido. Salido has the power to knockout Lopez if the fight turns into a brawl. Does Lopez have the power to knockout Salido? It is doubtful. Lopez can win the fight comfortably by decision if he gets into a shell and counterpunches Salido, but can Lopez resist the urge to bang? Probably not. If Lopez gets caught by one of Salido’s bombs, it’s lights out.

If Lopez survives his fight with Salido he should then be facing Rafael Marquez in a rematch. The rematch will be no different than the first fight; both fighters will be trying to finish each other off furiously. The difference in the rematch is that Rafael Marquez will be fighting without injuries. Can Juan Manuel Lopez keep up the furious pace of take-no-prisoners fighting into the late rounds of a fight? Rafael Marquez is no stranger to warring intensely into the late rounds. Juan Manuel Lopez in his fight with Rogers Mtagwa showed some cracks in the late rounds of that fight and was almost knocked out. Rafael Marquez will only get more dangerous as the fight progresses into the late rounds, his focus increases, his determination intensifies. It is probable that in the rematch Marquez will knockout Lopez in the late rounds. Lopez will need to score a knockout early in the fight if he expects to win.

Juan Manuel Lopez used to bull doze through his opposition in the super bantamweights, but this is the featherweight division and many have the power to kayo Lopez and the chin to take his punch. His road to Gamboa is full of dangers, he may not get there.

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