By Jason Kim: Having wasted a perfect opportunity to get a big payday for his fighters Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa by failing to set up a fight between the two because their promoter Bob Arum wanted the fight marinate more to bring more of a bigger return for all those involved, Arum is left with a badly beaten Lopez after his 8th round stoppage win to little known featherweight contender Orlando Salido. Lopez was badly beaten in a mostly one-sided fight.
Lopez vs. Salido
Jeff Mayweather: Lopez was saved from embarrassment by his fight getting stopped before he was knocked out
By Dan Ambrose: Jeff Mayweather, the uncle of Floyd Mayweather Jr., thinks WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (30-1, 27 KO’s) was lucky that the referee stepped in and stopped his fight with Orlando Salido (35-11-2, 23 KO’s) last Saturday night. Lopez, 27, had been knocked down hard in the 5th and further hurt in the 6th and 8th rounds by heavy shots from Salido. Lopez was on his feet when the fight was stopped in the 8th, and he along with his fans felt that the stoppage was too quick by referee Roberto Ramirez Jr.
Juan Manuel Marquez and Gamboa easily beat Salido, but Lopez fails
By Dan Ambrose: Juan Manuel Lopez (30-1, 27 KO’s) failed miserably in his big test against the tough Mexican Orlando Solido (35-11-2, 23 KO’s) last Saturday night in an 8th round TKO loss in front of Lopez’s shocking fans in Peurto Rico. The loss showed loud and clear that the 27-year-old Lopez isn’t in the same class as fighters like Juan Manuel Marquez and Yuriorkis Gamboa, both of which easily beat Salido in lopsided 12 round decision victories. What does that tell you about Lopez?
Lopez plans on fighting a rematch with Salido before moving up to super featherweight
By Dan Ambrose: Former WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (30-1, 27 KO’s) will be looking to get a rematch with Orlando Salido (35-11-2, 23 KO’s) later in the year and then moving up to super featherweight to try and capture a title at that weight. Lopez, 27, was stopped by the 30-year-old Salido in the 8th round last Saturday night in a fight at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
Lopez beaten by Salido, fight with Gamboa now just a dream
By Dan Ambrose: Bob Arum, the promoter for former WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (30-1, 27 KO’s) must be kicking himself right about now after his fighter Lopez was stopped in the 8th round by the tough Mexican challenger Orlando Salido (35-11-2, 23 knockouts) last Saturday night in Puerto Rico.
Salido stops Lopez in 8th
By Dan Ambrose: WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez’s luck finally ran out on Saturday night, losing by a 8th round TKO to Mexican challenger Orlando Salido (35-11-2, 23 KO’s) at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico. There was some controversy, as referee Roberto Ramirez Jr. stopped the fight with Lopez taking punishment in his corner at 1:39 of the 8th.
If Lopez defeats Salido on Saturday, he will be facing Rafael Marquez next rather than Gamboa
By Dan Ambrose: WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (30-0, 27 KO’s) will be fighting the recently beaten Orlando Salido (34-11-2, 22 KO’s) tomorrow night at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico. If Lopez wins this fight, he will move on to a rematch with 36-year-old Rafael Marquez (39-6, 35 KO’s), who Lopez already beat by an 8th round stoppage last November.
Arum still letting Gamboa vs. Lopez build momentum before he matches them up
By Jason Kim: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum still feels it’s too soon to match-up his two prized unbeaten featherweight champions Juan Manuel Lopez (30-0, 27 KO’s) and Yuriorkis Gamboa. Arum wants to let the two fighters continue to win fight, build more fans before eventually matching them up at some point in the future. Lopez, 27, holds the WBO featherweight crown and has looked fairly invincible, whereas Gamboa, 29, is the IBF/WBA featherweight champ and has looked a little shaky in some of his fights the past couple of years.
Lopez-Salido: Juanma slowly building to a future Gamboa fight
By Dan Ambrose: Bob Arum is taking his time in matching up his two stars WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (30-0, 27 KO’s) and WBA/IBF champion Yuriorkis Gamboa (19-0, 15 KO’s) in a fight. Instead of putting them in with each other, Arum is looking to slowly build up the fight for the future. The problem is that neither fighter is taking on anyone good enough to make them anymore popular than they already are.
Lopez to move up in weight after Salido and Marquez fights
By Dan Ambrose: Undefeated WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (30-0, 27 KO’s) plans on moving up in weight to the super featherweight division in 2012 after fighting Orlando Salido (34-11-2, 22 KO’s) on April 16th, and then a rematch with aging 35-year-old Rafael Marquez (39-6, 35 KO’s) later on in the year. Lopez already stopped Marquez last year in an 8th round retirement.