Juan Manuel Lopez faces his toughest test to date when he defends his featherweight title against Rafael Marquez this Saturday. It will be a classic battle of Puerto Rico vs. Mexico at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight can be seen on Showtime at 10 pm ET accompanied by an undercard bout of Allan Green vs. Glen Johnson to advance in the Super Six.
Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rafael Marquez
Money Line: Lopez -350; Marquez +250
WBO Featherweight Title
Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) makes the third defense of his featherweight title this Saturday against the most difficult opponent of his young career. Lopez combined power and speed to gain super bantamweight supremecy and is now considered to be a top featherweight. Despite all his physical gifts, the 27-year-old Puerto Rican has struggled to maintain his composure. He has struggled in moments in which he should flourish. Those could just be instances of maturing as a fighter or there could be a bigger issue regarding his focus both in and out of the ring. There is little room for error on Saturday.
If Lopez were to slip up, you can be assured that the veteran Rafael Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) will make him pay. A two-division world champion, Marquez will be going after his third on Saturday. One has to wonder how much the 35-year-old Marquez has left, especially following his three brutal, plus one ceremonial, fights with Israel Vazquez. Rafael Marquez has power, but it’s the kind that is generated through precise placement on his combinations. That’s bad news for the susceptible Lopez. If Marquez puts his punches together, he can use his experience to pull the upset and gain a world title in his third different division.
Staff Predicitions
Corey Willinger: On paper, Lopez-Marquez looks like a war. If it comes to that, advantage Lopez, who at age 27 is 8 years Marquez’s junior. In his prime, Marquez was more of a sharp-shooting tactician than he showed in his first three fights against the rugged Israel Vazquez. But in their fourth and final meeting, Marquez seemed to get back to form. The question is whether that was more a matter of Marquez being able to do what he wanted with a warrior far past his best or whether Rafael has rejuvenated himself at the end of his career, similar to how Marco Antonio Barrera did it after his devastating loss to Manny Pacquiao. If Lopez doesn’t give him the time and space he needs to control this fight, look for Marquez to join his rival Vazquez on the sidelines sooner than later. In a back-and-forth fight, Marquez shows he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level, but Lopez wears him down with a late rounds rally and scores a knockout in round 11.
Trent: Great crossroads matchup here that is sure to deliver the goods. Lopez appears to be the pick but upon further review, Rafael Marquez has the pop and accuracy to topple the young champion. I expect a cautious start to the fight but it won’t be long before things open up. Lopez will begin to wear Marquez down and will grab the knockout in the 9th round.
