Juan Manuel Lopez vs Gerry Penalosa Predictions

TKO1, KO1, TKO1, TKO3, TKO2. The destructive path of the explosive Juan Manuel Lopez looks to add another victim tomorrow night, but Gerry Penalosa promises not to go down easy. In a pro-career dating back to 1989, the crafty Filipino has yet to be stopped. No doubt he'll give the youngster some quality rounds, but can the 36 year old veteran win?

The Boxing Bulletin writers give their thoughts on how this compelling battle of southpaws will play out.

Penalosa is getting up there in age and weight. I think the veteran will teach JuanMa a thing or two in there and win a few rounds. But the younger and bigger man takes a clear decision, 8-4 or 9-3.- Mark Lyons

Penalosa against Juan Manuel Lopez is another difficult fight to call. Because of the short nature of Lopez' fights, we don't know much about how he'll handle a guy who can neutralize his right hook. He may become lost if his hook is taken away, or he may expose wrinkles in his game we haven't seen yet. Although a Lopez knockout wouldn't shock me, I think Penalosa sees 12. Lopez is a bit unseasoned for my tastes to see him outboxing a vet like Gerry, and too economical to outwork him. Since the fight's in Puerto Rico, I'm not sure if Penalosa gets a close decision, but I see him winning in the eyes of most observers. - Michael Nelson

Lopez-Penalosa is an interesting fight. I agree with Mark that Penalosa will teach Lopez a thing or two in this fight but I can't see Penalosa lasting the full twelve rounds against a quick young fighter with a huge punch. I see Lopez stopping him in the 5th or 6th round after a fairly even fight up until that point. - Dave Oakes

Penalosa is good enough to answer some of the questions surrounding the young sensation from Puerto Rico, but I expect Lopez to win a wide decision. If he shines, I'll be impressed. - Lee Payton

I'm going with youth and power here. While Lopez hasn't really been tested by a boxer of Penalosa's caliber, I think he's talented enough to win this impressively. He moves well, keeps his hands up and puts his punches together nicely - all things that make countering his aggressiveness easier said than done. - Andrew Fruman