10.06.08 – by James Slater: Fresh off his stunning one round annihilation of Mexico’s Daniel Ponce de Leon, new WBO super-bantamweight champion and possible superstar in the making Juan Manuel Lopez is scheduled to make the first defence of his world title on August 30th..
So far, no opponent has been named for the red hot 24-year-old southpaw, but whoever “Juanma” fights in August he will be sure to have a big audience. The chillingly effective KO job he did on de Leon, a man who had never been stopped before, has really got fights fans buzzing. Not that a good number of these fans claim to have been in any way overly surprised when their new hero destroyed the Mexican puncher so quickly on Saturday night in Atlantic City.
Indeed, great things have been expected of Lopez ever since he began his pro career back in January of 2005. A decorated amateur who represented his country at the 2004 Olympics, Lopez swept through his first 21 opponents on the way to his first crack at a world title – stopping 19 of them , 14 in less than three rounds. This genuine talent then arrived with a massive bang on the world stage this past Saturday with the blow-out of Ponce de Leon. The sky now the limit for Lopez, can the gifted southpaw become an all-out superstar of boxing?
There are a number of hugely exciting match-ups that Lopez could take as long as he occupies the 122 pound division. Fights with either Israel Vazquez or Rafael Marquez would be monstrous, while fights against men like Steve Molitor, Celestino Caballero and Jhonny Gonzalez would also be very attractive. With the kind of dazzling form he showed in his last fight, “Juanma” would have an excellent shot at beating each and every one of these top names. Fans of Lopez, and there are plenty of them, would pay to see their hero try, that’s for sure.
Blessed with speed, power, the ability to remain amazingly relaxed when in the ring and also having the good fortune to be boxing in a weight class that is filled with seriously formidable rival talent, the future looks good indeed for the 24-year-old.
Puerto Rico’s newest sensation? Juan Manuel Lopez is certainly that, but the man who looks set to become a true great may also go on to become the biggest sensation in all of boxing!
August 30th cannot come fast enough.