By Dan Ambrose: Former WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (31-2, 28 KO’s) received a stiff one-year suspension by the Puerto Rican Professional Boxing Commission for making critical comments about referee Roberto Ramirez following Lopez’s 10th round TKO loss to WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido on March 10th. In addition to the lengthy suspension, Lopez was also fined $10,000 and ordered to do 100 hours of community service.

Lopez has 20 days with which to appeal the decision by the commissions, but he’ll have to present a good case for him to get his suspension and/or fine altered by the commission.

Lopez has said he might retire if faced with a long suspension. He might have second thoughts about retirement now that he’s been given the suspension but it’ll be interesting to see what he does at this point. Lopez has already attempted to apologize for making the comments, but it doesn’t look that changed much judging by the long suspension Lopez received.

A year suspension could be the straw in finishing the 28-year-old Lopez’s once promising career, because he’s now lost his last two fights by knockout against Salido and having a year of his career taken away from Lopez will hurt even more. In between fights, Lopez’s weight has gone up and he’s looked heavy. One can only imagine how much weight he’ll gain with an entire year off from the sport.

A highly disciplined individual wouldn’t be hurt in terms of putting on weight. However, Lopez might have problems if he can’t control his eating, and if he fails to exercise regularly. Taking that much time off from boxing will make it tough enough as it is, but if Lopez adds to that by gaining a ton of weight, he’ll be making it very hard for him to ever come back to the featherweight division to find success. He’s already having problems making weight for the division before this.