Lopez vs. Salido II only two weeks away

By Boxing News - 02/26/2012 - Comments

Image: Lopez vs. Salido II only two weeks awayBy Dan Ambrose: The important rematch between WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido (37-11-2, 25 KO’s) and Juan Manuel Lopez (31-1, 28 KO’s) is only two weeks away and I’m really looking forward to this fight on March 10th at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Like last time, Lopez will get the home town advantage despite having lost to Salido last April by an 8th round TKO. Lopez packs in the fans in greater numbers than Salido, hence we’re seeing the rematch in Puerto Rico rather than Salido’s home country of Mexico.

I wish I could say that Lopez will improve enough to win this time but I can’t see it happening. He’s too wide open for right hands and he’s got too weak of a chin to avenge his earlier defeat. If anything, I think it’s going to be worse for Lopez because Salido will have the memory fresh in his mind in how he beat him last time and he’ll just fall back into what was working last time to get a quicker stoppage in the rematch.

Lopez’s entire career has been spent as a slugger, and it’s kind of late in the stage for him to go back. He’s likely working on trying to develop a plan on using his boxing skills and movement to stymie Salido in this fight. I don’t see that as being very effective. If you look at Lopez’s previous fights, he’ll box for a little while against the dangerous guys but he eventually comes forward and looks to slug. That’s been his past and it will show itself in the future for the Salido rematch. Even if Lopez runs from Salido, he won’t go very far because Salido is excellent at cutting off the ring on fighters that run from him.

I think Lopez made a huge mistake by agreeing to have the fight take place in Puerto Rico rather than a neutral venue because his fans will be cheering him on each time he lands a shot, and that in turn will motivate Lopez to start slugging. Once he starts slugging, Salido will have him right where he wants him and will be able to take him out just like he did last time he whipped him.



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