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Boxing's emerging star to fight Saturday in Atlantic City
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ATLANTIC CITY - If he had not been astride a horse, Juan Manuel Lopez would not have drawn a second glance on the Boardwalk on Thursday morning.
That is not the case in his native Puerto Rico. Lopez (25-0, 23 KOs), the WBO super-bantamweight champion, is a superstar in a place where boxers are considered royalty.
If WBO welterweight champ Miguel Cotto is the king, then Lopez is the crown prince.
"When it is all said and done, Juan Manuel Lopez will be a bigger star than (legendary Puerto Rican fighters) Wilfredo Gomez, Felix Trinidad and Miguel Cotto," said Lopez's co-promoter, Peter Rivera.
Lopez is not yet on that level in Atlantic City, however. Since Arturo Gatti retired, Cotto and WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik are the only fighters who have been able to draw decent crowds at Boardwalk Hall. Lopez's title defense Saturday against Olivier Lontchi (18-0-2, 8 KOs) was scheduled to be there as the co-feature to Pavlik-Sergio Mora. When Pavlik was forced to pull out with a staph infection in his hand, however, Lopez-Lontchi was switched to the 3,000-seat Adrian Phillips Ballroom.
If the bout were being held in Puerto Rico, however, a much bigger venue would be needed. Lopez's previous fight, a ninth-round TKO over Gerry Penalosa in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, two months ago, drew 15,000.
"Miguel is the bigger star right now, without a doubt," Lopez said through a translator. "But I'm getting there. I'm popular enough now where I don't have to fight on his undercards anymore."
Lopez, 25, is considered boxing's brightest young star. Much of it is because of his exciting, hard-hitting style. His victory over Penalosa was his 13th straight win via knockout or TKO. Local fans saw his power on June 7, 2008, when he dethroned favored champion Daniel Ponce De Leon with a first-round TKO at Boardwalk Hall on the Pavlik-Gary Lockett undercard.
He has always enjoyed throwing punches, which is how he became a boxer.
"I was always fighting at school," Lopez said with a laugh. "My teachers told me I should try boxing, so I started when I was 9. I grew up in Juacos, and I would go over to the gym in Caguas to train. I liked it right away, and I've been doing it ever since."
So far, it has paid off.
The kid who grew up with his mother and three brothers in a public housing complex just moved to a new home in Caguas with his wife, Barbara, and their five children.
"Before I became champion, we were living in a much smaller home and we were thinking of doing some renovations," Lopez said. "But I used the money from my first two title fights to buy something bigger. It's really nice. It's got four bedrooms, five bathrooms, six TVs and a big swimming pool. My family really enjoys it."
Inside the ring, Lopez has yet to lose. Outside, he has tasted defeat.
His latest loss came Thursday morning. Just after posing on the horse, Lopez said he wanted to buy one, much to the delight of his two youngest children, Belisa (5) and Juan Manuel Jr. (3).
"My wife said no," Lopez said with a laugh. "So I guess I'm not getting a horse."
Punchlines: Tickets to Saturday's fight are still available. They are priced at $50, $100 and $200 and are available at Boardwalk Hall, Bally's Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City and through Ticketmaster. ... Six other fights are scheduled, including a 12-round super-flyweight bout between Jorge Arce (51-5-1, 39 KOs) and Fernando Lumacad (19-1-2, 7 KOs) and a 12-round junior-middleweight fight between Yuri Foreman (27-0, 8 KOs) and Cornelius Bundrage (29-4, 17 KOs).
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Posted in Sports, Boxing, Breaking_news on Friday, June 26, 2009 12:00 am Updated: 6:09 am. | Tags: Atlantic City
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