Puerto Rican WBO super bantamweight champion and potential great fighter Juan Manuel
“JuanMa” Lopez 27-0 (24) was expected to win with style last time out against Rogers
Mtagwa 26-13-2 (18) in Lopez’s Madison Square Garden showcase.
However it was a tough fight and Lopez only just got through the 12th and final round. As a result of this cracking fight, both are back in World title shots but not in a rematch.
Lopez will be leaving the super bantamweight division and moving up to featherweight to challenge the under rated WBO champion Steven Luevano 37-1-1 (15) in what should be a very good fight and a good clash of styles. Lopez will certainly get plenty of support though, as the Puerto Ricans love to flood Madison Square Garden as seen in Miguel Cotto fights.
In the co-main event Mtagwa will also be fighting at featherweight (although he seems to alternate between super bantam and feather) and will challenge unbeaten Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa 16-0 (14) for Gamboa’s WBA featherweight crown.
This also should be interesting as Gamboa has a flashy fast stlye but hasn’t really been pushed yet and Mtagwa knows no other way to fight but to get involved.
Gamboa happened to watch the Lopez-Mtagwa bout and boasted how easily he would have beaten Mtagwa , hence this fight being made.
The idea from Top Rank is obviously for Lopez and Gamboa to win and to potentially have a big fight between two unbeaten champions later in 2010. However as boxing fans know, things do not always go to plan
The four fighters met at Madison Square Garden today at the first press conference and these are some of the quotes:
Juan Manuel Lopez: (In reference to the Mtagwa fight) : “I didn’t have much patience. My corner kept asking me to be patient and that is why I got in trouble. I didn’t listen to my corner."
"I know a lot of people think I've been underestimating Steven, and that's not the case. He's a great champion, a great boxer, and he's shown it over and over again. Before I entertain anything else, I need to concentrate on my next fight. We have to take care of business first."
Steven Luevano: “I am just ready to fight, you know. I will be ready and I will always be two steps ahead (Of Lopez), no matter what he brings to the table”.
Yuriorkis Gamboa: “I am here to keep my promise, that any time I am in the squared circle, I will be at my best. There is never ever any doubt that I will bring home the victory”.
So all in all on January23rd 2010 we should have a very interesting night of boxing.
By JIMMY LAST (EDITOR)
