One More Round With Mark Lyons: Lopez/Mtagwa, Vasquez & The Super Six

Mark Lyons is back with his weekly take on the previous weekend's boxing action, as well as a look ahead to what's coming up.

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

We had an old school type of war in New York plus the return of a warrior. Next on tap is the long awaited opening of the Super Six, to that all I can say is….Lets get ready to rumble.

My take on this past weekend's action...

While many were slamming Roger Mtagwa (pictured) as a challenger for the young Puerto Rican star in the making, Juan Manual Lopez, I was quietly looking forward to the fight. It reminded me of an 80’s network match-up when champions were more active and brutish warriors that toiled on small cards were given a chance. There is always the potential for a Rocky Balboa moment and we got one last weekend. Roger was willing to walk through a Sherman tank to get his licks in and prove once again the record never measures the man.

It was a tremendous fight that was packed with drama. If you weren’t on the edge of your seat in the final two rounds, you should probably stick to watching sitcoms. Mtagwa fell just short and though I found two of the cards to be a bit wide, I agreed with the decision.

I also wouldn’t jump the gun on damning Lopez to being overrated as this was a bull strong challenger who refused to go away. Juanma needs to go back to setting up shots with his jab and lets all hope Mtagwa gets another payday out of this.

Anybody get the impression that Israel Vazquez would go to war with a cheerleader? He knows no other way.

While it was a bit concerning that he struggled so mightily with a journeyman. There was rust involved and a style change at this point probably got him thinking too much in there. But when the fight is tight and the blood is flowing, the man needs no council on how to close a show. I’ll reserve requests for retirement until I see him again. But it was strange to have such an entertaining battle concern you as much as it entertained you.

Looking Ahead...

Arthur Abraham is going to brutalize Jermain Taylor, no maybes about it. Nothing in the style match up favors the gutsy American.

You have to applaud Taylor for his ambitious schedule, but he is up against it bad here. Abraham will block his shots and counter with thunder, hurting Taylor early and often. Only Taylor’s courage will get this fight to the midway point and possibly beyond. But it will take several trips to the canvas to last that long.

I’m picking Carl Froch over Andre Dirrell in the other fight, but with a bit more reservations.

Dirrell has obvious athletic gifts, but they come with some evident flaws and a gut feeling that he will fold under pressure. Now, he can certainly laugh at that gut feeling and may turn out to be more than advertised, but I really think this is a rough spot for a coming out party. He may have the ability to stink it out, but I’m hard pressed to see him take a decision in Carl’s hometown by running.

My take is Froch adjusts to the speed after a few rounds and begins to break Dre down before stopping him late.

A fight I’ve been thinking about...

Frank Bruno vs Tommy Morrison

Bombs away! Bruno was a bit sturdier, but Tommy was faster and probably had an edge in heart. Impossible to predict this with any conviction. They would both almost assuredly see the canvas and it’s highly unlikely to see the final bell. In a 51/49 moment, I’ll take Morrison to survive a couple early knockdowns and flatten the big Brit in the fourth.

e-mail Mark Lyons Read more!

Lopez Barely Holds Off Mtagwa in Dramatic Brawl

By Andrew Fruman

Douglas over Tyson, Honeyghan over Curry, Turpin over Robinson, Braddock over Baer…

One more round – heck maybe just a dozen more seconds – separated Rogers Mtagwa, the Tanzanian born Philly fighter from a stirring come from behind upset that would have ranked right up there with some of the biggest shockers the sport has ever seen.

With 12 losses to his name, and a wide open come forward style that seemed perfect fodder for the destructive fists of the belt holder (the WBO 122 pound strap if you care about such things), Mtagwa was given a spot in Saturday night’s Latin Fury 12 main event for the sole purpose of getting hammered by Top Rank’s rising young star. Instead, the tough as nails journeyman brawler produced a stirring effort in pushing the fancied house fighter to the brink.

While Lopez banked the early rounds, landing a number of heavy right hooks and straight lefts, Mtagawa never stopped coming. He relentlessly waded through the leather, and kept banging away with his own artillery, and slowly but surely the flow of the fight began to change - and by the mid-rounds, the expected blow out had turned into a give and take battle of attrition highlighted by a number of fierce exchanges.

By the 11th round of the fast paced bout, both men had absorbed a great deal of punishment and were looking tired, but it was the wide swinging Mtagwa that seemed to have more left and looked to be the more willing and confident fighter. However, it was not until the closing seconds of the round that he found a real break through.

It came in the form of a big left hook that badly shook Lopez, who appeared dazed as he headed back to his corner. Had the punch landed a little earlier, Lopez might very well have been finished.

As it was, even with the precious 60 second break, Lopez did not appear fully recovered when he came out for the final frame. It was a heart stopping 3 minutes, with Mtagwa desperately going for the finish, as Lopez in full on survival mode, staggered all over the ring.

As the final moments ticked down, the reeling title holder looked up at the Wumu Theater time clock to see how much time was left. It was heady, but desperate stuff from Lopez, who somehow managed to still be on his feet when the bell sounded.

Lopez had survived – winning on the cards by scores of 116-111, 115-111 and 114-113.

While he may have come up just short, it was a championship effort from Mtagwa that will not soon be forgotten. Bob Arum made it clear he wouldn’t be getting another crack at Lopez, but if there’s any justice, he'll be in there with another name opponent, and hopefully receive a decent payday to go with it.

After 13 hard working years as a pro, giving it everything he has each time out, it's the least he deserves.

e-mail Andrew Fruman Read more!

Live Blog: Lopez vs Lontchi & Ortiz vs Maidana

Welcome to The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage of Saturday night's twin-bill action with round by round updates of both the Top Rank PPV and HBO BAD shows.

Coverage will start at 9 PM EST with the under-card of the Top Rank show. We'll then jump over to HBO at 10 PM to cover Victor Ortiz (pictured right) vs Marcos Rene Maidana, and then back to Top Rank in plenty of time for the main-event between Juan Manuel Lopez and Olivier Lontchi.

Thanks for joining us for tonight's Boxing Bulletin live blog coverage. If you've been with us before for a live blog, welcome back. If this is your first time, thanks for checking us out. Feel free to participate by giving your scores and comments.

Top Rank PPV starts at 9 PM EST Main-event: Juan Manuel Lopez 121.5 lbs (25-0) vs Oliver Lontchi 120 lbs (18-0-2) Also on the show: Vanes Martirosyan vs Andrey Tsurkan (10 rounds at 154), Cornelius Bundrage vs Yuri Foreman (12 rounds at 154) & Jorge Arce vs Fernando Lumacad (12 rounds at 115) HBO BAD starts at 10 PM EST. Victor Ortiz (24-1-1) 139.7 lbs vs Marcos Rene Maidana (25-1) 140 lbs Vicious Victor Ortiz pictured right in his quick TKO win over Jeffrey Resto last December, photo © Ray Kasprowicz Just one fight on the HBO show due to the cancellation of the rematch between Chris John and Rocky Juarez. If you are here early, check out The Boxing Bulletin's previews for tonight's big fights: Victor Ortiz vs Marcos Rene Maidana Preview Juan Manuel Lopez vs Olivier Lontchi Preview

Refresh this page often as updates will be frequent Coverage will start at 9 PM EST. 8:15 EST... The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage of tonight's events will start in 45 minutes. Please join us then. 9:05... Martirosyan and Tsurkan will open up the show. Jimmy Lennon Jr. will be handling the intros momentarily. 9:06... Jimmy Lennon... "Welcome to Boardwalk Hall..." 9:07... Steve Smoger is the ref. 9:08... Intros are complete. Smoger with the final instructions. 9:09... We're underway. 9:12... Vanes landed a couple of nice right hands. Tsurkan is the one coming forward, and he's getting caught clean on the way in. Vanes just went to the body hard with a hook, and was warned for straying a little low. 1:00 left in the opening round. Tsurkan keeps plodding forward, while Vanes is circling and landing all the clean shots. There's the bell for round 1. 9:16... Vanes just landed a good upper-cut just over a minute into the second round. Much the same pattern as the first with Tsurkan moving forward, and Vanes circling away and loooking to counter. Vanes is also sticking the jab home. Tsurkan is following but not too busy and when he does throw is having a tough time landing clean. Meanwhile Vanes is landing clean jabs, while mixing in the occasional right hand. Round 2 in the books. 9:16... Tsurkan's corner is telling him he needs to get busier in there. 9:20... Raul Marquez just commented that Tsurkan is lunging in and starting to look like a walking punching bag. Vanes just nailed him with a clean right upper-cut. Tsurkan keeps moving forward, but he's having a tough time getting set. When he does open up, he's also getting tagged. Vanes just landed a nice combo. Vanes looking very comfortable in there. That's it for round 3. 9:24... Marquez just commented that it's 3-0 on his card. That goes without saying. It's been one way traffic. Vanes just landed a solid shot on the button that buckled Tsurkan's knees. About 50 seconds left in the 4th, and Vanes just landed a nice hard combo that seemed to momentarily stagger Tsurkan. There's a clean upper-cut as well. Round 4 coming to a close. This is starting to get a bit pointless. 9:25... The doctor is in Tsurkan's corner having a look. He's getting tagged flush a lot, and there's a swelling developing under his left eye. 9:28... About 2:00 minutes left in round 5. Tsurkan just got drilled with a clean right hand. He's taken a lot of punishment and it's still early. Clean shots on the button. Raul Marquez comments that Tsurkan is just taking a beating. Rich Marotta says Tsurkan needs to get inside and rough Vanes up. He's not quick enough. Let's be honest - there's really nothing he can do here. He's outclassed. There's the bell. 9:29... "Don't put me in a position here, you've got to throw shots!" - Tsurkan's corner. I imagine that's a threat that they'll stop it if he doesn't get back in the fight. I'd say if round 6 resembles the previous 5, that's a very good idea. 9:32... Marotta comments that Vanes is doing a great job not letting Tsurkan get set to throw. He's moving nicely and disrupting his rhythm with his jab. About 1:30 left in the round. Tsurkan just landed a decent left hook. Give him credit for battling on. Just not quick enough to get inside. Round 6 coming to a close. It's been a quieter one for Vanes. There's the bell. 9:33... There's a conference in Tsurkan's corner. Tsurkan wants 1 more round, but it looks like he's being overruled. This one is done. Good stoppage. 9:35... Jimmy Lennon with the announcement. He tells us that the ringside physician suggested Steve Smoger call this one off. 9:36... Next up is Cornelius Bundrage vs Yuri Foreman. This one's an eliminator and scheduled for 12. 9:38... Rich Marotta says that Foreman is on his way to becoming a rabbi. At 28, he's the younger man by 8 years. 9:39... Eddie Cotton is the ref for this one. 9:41... Jimmy Lennon giving the intros. Bundrage is wearing light blue with yellow trim. Foreman is wearing black with gold trim. 9:45... Marquez comments that Foreman's not a big puncher - "big asset is his footwork." We're about a minute in, and nothing's happened so far. A few catcalls from the crowd on the lack of action. Foreman then bulls Bundrage into the corner, and they clinch. A bit of rough stuff there from both guys as Bundrage reacted by whacking Foreman in the back of the head while in the clinch. Marquez says that Bundrage can't be waiting here, he's got to put the pressure on or he'll get outboxed. Round 1 coming to a close. The crowd not enthusiastic about this one so far. 9:46... Just a reminder, we'll be jumping over to the HBO for Ortiz vs Maidana, and then coming back to the Top Rank show. Foreman's corner by the way told him to stop feinting with the jab and actually throw it. 9:49... Curt Menefee just commented that Rich Marotta's having some technical issues. I assume his mike is not working. Not much for Rich to comment on. Not much for me to comment on either. Round 2 is almost in the books. Bundrage has been a little more aggressive, but the action has still been limited. 9:53... Bundrage just tried to land a right, but Foreman pulled away. Now they clinch. A lot of clinches so far. A lot of moving, feinting, clinching... not many clean shots landed. Foreman using his jab. Bundrage trying to attack here and there. Rich Marotta (he's back) just said that Bundrage can't be backing away. He's got to get aggressive in there. Foreman jumps in with a quick combo and gets out quickly. Bundrage is trying to land his right hand, but not having much success. There's another clinch. Foreman just landed a nice hard overhand right that really got Bundrage's attention, and Marquez think that buzzed Bundrage a little bit. Bundrage just whacked Foreman on the break and is warned by Eddie Cotton. There's the bell. 9:54... Foreman was cut in that round around the right eye from an accidental headbutt. 9:55... This one is over, and it's a no contest. That cut is nasty. Just over the right eye. 9:57... The clash of heads actually took place immediately after Foreman landed that hard right hand. 9:58... Jimmy Lennon... "Yuri Foreman the recipient of an unintentional head-butt and deemed unfit to continue by the ringside physician... no decision." 9:58... Up next is Jorge Arce vs Fernando Lumacad, but we'll be heading over to HBO. 10:01... First though, we've got Rich Marotta interviewing Juan Manuel Lopez, who's having his hands wrapped. Through the translator..."I'm excited. This is where I won my title a year ago." Is he effected by the raised expectations? "No pressure, of course I know the expectations are out there, and I'm looking to deliver on those expectations, but no pressure at all." Marotta asks about Lontchi - "We've seen a lot of tape... he doesn't have the style to beat me..." 10:02... "We have to come prepared for every fight. It's not a question of being over-confident. It's a question of doing your work and being confident about what you've done." 10:03... Off to HBO. 10:05... Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Emanuel Steward handling the commentary. 10:06... This one's at Staples Center in LA. 10:10... HBO's showing a little feature on Victor Ortiz' story. I'll have to watch that later, but for now let's flip back to the Top Rank show, as a quick check reveals that the fighters are in the ring and ready to go. 10:12... Arce and Lumacad is underway. 10:14... Arce edging forward. He just tried a sweeping right hand, and missed as Lumacad ducked underneath it. Action in the center of the ring. Every so often, Arce edges forward, and Lumacad backs away and circles. Arce flicking out a few jabs. He's now short with a hook. Caution action here so far. Lumacad now tries a hook that misses. there's a clinch with a bout 20 seconds left. Very much a feeling out round. There's the bell. 10:15... We'll stick with this one for a little longer. Maidana is entering the arena over in LA. I'd say that one's still at least 5 or 6 minutes from starting. 10:18... Marquez comments that this isn't the Arce we usually see. "We usually see him start fast." Arce comes forward with a hook that is short, and a right hand that misses as well. Lumacad is moving nicely here. Marquez says Arce needs to get more aggressive and try and work the body. Arce tries to throw a right, that's blocked. He's showing more initiative than Lumacad, but hasn't had much luck yet. Lumacad is moving side to side, circling. Under a minute left in round 2. Lumacad ties Arce up as he tries to get inside. Lumacad now misses a hook. Lumacad goes to the body and then ties Arcue up again. Lumacad is moving when he can, and looking to try and beat Arce to the punch and tie him up in close. This round is coming to a close. 10:19... Arce suffered a cut just under his eye at some point during the round. It apparently won't be a problem. 10:20... Maidana and Ortiz are in the ring. The intros are underway. 10:20... The ref is Raul Caiz Sr. 10:21... Heading back quickly to Arce vs Lumacad... and it's over. Wow. Okay, let's see what happened here. 10:21... Hopefully I can catch a quick replay before heading back to the start of Ortiz vs Maidana. 10:22... Here's the replay. Huge right hand counter over the top of Lumacad's left jab. Right on the chin. That was that. 10:23... Wer're back with Ortiz and Maidana. Round 1 is underway. 10:26... Maidana off to a good start early. He just landed a nice counter right hand as Ortiz came inside. Ortiz though kept coming, and landed his own shot. Maidana tried to fire back, and was dropped along the ropes. Now Ortiz is down by a huge right hand! Wow. They traded knockdowns. Ortiz doesn't look good. He's unsteady and Maidana is after him. Ortiz is trying clinch. Maidana is banging the body. Now Ortiz comes back hard and drives Maidana into the ropes. 20 seconds left in the round. Maidana tries to bang the body and Ortiz holds on tight. Ortiz now fires a combo. Maidana fires back! There's the bell. What a round! 10:26... Crazy action round 1. Immediately after the fight resumed after the first knockdown - which was a right hook by Ortiz - Maidana landed a short straight right on the button. 10:27... Harold has it 10-10. I gave it to Maidana. His knockdown was certainly the better one, and I thought he had a slight edge in the round. 10:30... Maidana is putting the pressure on, trying to make this a brawl. He just landed a hard looping right hand. He's getting inside on Ortiz, and digging the body as well. Ortiz firing back with a straight left, and Maidana backs off. Terrific fight so far. Maidana is short with a right hand as he backs Ortiz up. He's got Victor backing up here. Now they clinch along the ropes, but both guys working in the clinch. 50 seconds left in round 2. A little clash of heads, but no blood. Now Ortiz just loaded up with a huge left. He missed. But he came back with another huge right, that caught Maidana and dropped him. Ortiz trying to finish now! Maidana trying to survive the round. 10 seconds left. Maidana is down again. He's up quickly. There's the bell. Wow! 10:31... Here's the replay of the knockdowns. A big right hook dropped Maidana the first time. The second time looked like a right hook as well. Not quite as crisp though. 10:31... 10-7 round for Ortiz on Harold's card. He has it 20-17. 10:34... Maidana just missed with a wild hook. Ortiz patient so far this round. He's not going full out trying to step on the advantage he had at the end of last round. Maidana catches him with a good right hand, and Ortiz responds by coming back hard with a flurry that drove Maidana into the ropes. Maidana came right back with a right hand though. 1:30 to go in round 3. Action now in the center of the ring. Maidana looking to line up the right. They clinch, but work out of it. Caiz yelling for them to let go. Ortiz just got the better of a good exchange. Ortiz misses with a hook, and Maidana counters to the body. They clinch again. 30 seconds left in round 3. Maidana is just short with a hook. Ortiz just misses with a big left hand, and follow up right hook. Steward comments that Maidana is getting a little wide with his punches. There's the bell. Round 3 is in the books. 10:35... Round 4 is underway. 10:35... Harold has it 30-26. 10:38... Maidana just caught Ortiz with a little right hand, as Harold is explaining his score. Kellerman comments that Maidana is getting a little sloppier, but is still very dangerous. Ortiz just landed a nice straight left hand. He's backed Maidana up for a moment. Another good left from Ortiz. He's just short with another one. Maidana trying to dig to the body with his left hand. Steward comments that if Ortiz utilized his right jab a bit more, he'd be having an easier time. 30 seconds left in round 4. Maidana tries to jump in with a right, and they clinch. Action a bit slower here. Ortiz fires off a combo and landed a left hand. He landed it just after the bell. 10:39... Round 5 is underway. 39-36 on Harold's card. 10:42... Ortiz with a hard right hook, that started off a nice flurry. Maidana ties him up. Steward comments that Ortiz just doesn't need to trade his much. Maidana lands a solid right. They clinch and Maidana is warned for hitting behind the head. Ortiz with a nice right hook. Another clinch. With Ortiz fighting out of the southpaw stance, they are coming together awkwardly a bit, resulting in a lot of these clinches. Maidana tries to come forward, and lands an uppercut. Ortiz responds with a combo. They exchange power shots. I think Maidana got the better of that exchange, but Ortiz fires right back immediately. Great action there. 45 seconds left in the round. Ortiz was cut during that exchange. Might have been a clash of heads. Ortiz misses with a counter hook, as Maidana tried to come inside. They clinch with about 15 seconds left. Maidana with a hard right hand down the middle that snapped Ortiz' head back. Another huge right hand by Maidana as the round ends. Some solid shots there. 10:43... The ruling was a punch caused the cut. Ortiz' corner is frantic. They aren't pleased with defensive lapses. It was a right hand on the eye that caused the cut. 10:44... Maidana immediately comes out and rips Ortiz with a right hand. Maidana is landing his right hand clean almost at will. Ortiz is in trouble. He's backing up. Maidana is going after him. Victor is in big trouble. Down he goes. The ref is taking him over the doctor. This is over. Marcos Rene Maidana with a stunning stoppage victory over Victor Ortiz. 10:45... Ortiz got up after the knockdown, but didn't look eager to continue, prompting Caiz to took him over to the doctor. 10:46... That's a nasty cut just over Victor's eye. The time of the stoppage is 46 seconds of round 6. Terrific fight. 10:47... Back over to the Top Rank show. The main-event still looks like it's at least a few minutes from starting. Neither fighter has made their entrance yet. 10:49... Back to HBO. Max Kellerman interviewing Maidana. He's asking how badly hurt he was early in the fight. "I was okay. My legs were a little shaky, but I was okay." 10:50... Max asks Maidana how he was able to get up from the knockdowns. "I was well prepared. Well trained." Maidana also says Ortiz was making some mistakes and he knew that he could eventually take him. 10:54... Victor's eyes don't look good. He's being interviewed now. Big swelling under the left eye. Nasty cut over the right eye. Victor says after he'd put Maidana down twice in the 2nd round, he was still in a bit of a daze. Kellerman asks Ortiz what convinced him to stop fighting. "I was hurt. I'm going to lay down on my back for nobody. That way I can sleep well when I'm older." 10:54... Over to the Top Rank show. Juan Manuel Lopez is ready to make his entrance and the crowd is buzzing. 10:56... Both men are in the ring. Jimmy Lennon Jr. with the intros. 10:58... From Montreal Quebec, by way of Cameroon... Olivier Lontchi. A very mild reception for Olivier. 10:59... The crowd with a big ovation as Lopez is introduced. 11:00... The ref is Alan Huggins. 11:00... We're underway. 11:03... JuanMa is stalking already. He's short with a right hand. Lontchi circling to his left, now to his right. He lands a jab, and Lopez counters. Lopez now comes forward behind his jab and fires off a combo, as Lontchi backs away. Lontchi ties Lopez up on the inside. Lontch tries to come inside, and trips over JuanMa's foot and goes down. No knockdown. 1:30 to go in round 1. Lontch tries to throw a right hand, but gets hit with a counter left. JuanMa misses with a hook, and Lontch tries to clinch, but gets pushed down by Lopez instead. No knockdown there either. Almost a clash of heads there. Lontch is doing a lot of holding early. He's playing spoiler here early. JuanMa pushing forward, misses with a left, but digs a hook to the body. Lontchi lands a right hand and quickly gets on the move and then ties up Lopez. There's the bell. 11:04... Lopez' trainer telling him that he's got to throw the right hook. 11:04... Round is underway. 11:07... Lontch tries to work the body, but he's not standing in. He's throwing one shot quickly and getting out of there real quick. Lopez steadily pushing forward. He just missed with a hook, and Lontchi ties him up. Lopez edging forward. Lontchi bouncing around on the move. Juanma tries to dig downstairs with a hook. Olivier not standing still at all. And I said that, he got caught in the corner... and down he went. He's up quickly. 1:30 to go. Lopez trying to jump on him. Lontchi looks to have his legs here. He's on the move again. Juanma is chasing. Lontchi trying to jab and move now. He's in full scale defense mode. Lopez with a combo as he catches Lontchi on the ropes. Lontchi quickly gets out of there and tries to throw a right hand, but he's short. Marotta comments that Lontchi is getting the occasional shot home, but it's not enough to discourage Lopez from steadily coming forward. Round 2 coming to a close. There's the bell. 11:08... Howard Grant asks Lontchi if he was hurt. "No, I'm okay." The knockdown was a glancing right hand that caught Lontchi maybe a bit off balance. 11:11... Lontchi moving from side to side. Lopez tries to jump in with a hook, and they clinch. Lopez stalking Lontch from one side of the ring to the other. Lontchi backing away and circling. Lopez just short with a left hand. Lopez chasing. Lontchi running. Now Lontchi clinching. Come'on Olivier... let's get in there. Now Lopez tries to back him up along the ropes, but can't get Lontchi to stand still. Now Lopez backs Lontchi into the corner, but gets tied up. Lopez is getting frustrated from all the holding. Lopez with a counter, and Lontchi ties him up again. This is not thrilling stuff. Round 3 is done. 11:12... "Relax Juan, the knockout will come." - the word from Juanma's corner. 11:15... Lontchi tries to jump in with the occasional shot, but it always seems very hesitant. He's kind of jumping in, looking to maybe land and then hold right away. Now JuanMa pushes him back into the ropes and tries to flurry, but Lotchi fights his way out of danger. Lontchi throwing a few more shots this round. Juanma misses with a left, and Lontchi tries to flurry. Again a bit of a flurry by Lontchi. He's letting his hands go a little more. Lopez steadily coming forward. Lontchi standing his ground a little bit more thoug. Now Juanma pushes him back again, and they clinch. Marquez comments that Lopez needs to put his punches together a little better. Lopez throws a right, and Lontchi ducks under. Another clinch. 20 seconds left in the round. Another clinch. More holding and grabbing, as Lopez misses and gets tied up. That's it for round 4. 11:16... Lontch is being told he needs to hold ground more and throw some punches. I think we'd all like to see it as this isn't very entertaining so far. 11:19... Lopez is not having much luck with his straight left. Lontchi is ducking under it almost every time. Now Juanma comes forward, tries to throw a combo, but gets tied up. Lopez again misses over the top. If Juanma went to the body a little bit more, I think he'd have some more success. Suddenly Lontchi lands a decent right hand. Now Lontchi disgs to the body. Lopez tries to counter, and they clinch again. Lontchi looking a little bit more confident. Lontchi again lands a clean right right. That was on the button. Suddenly things are looking up from the man from Canada. Lopez keeps pushing forward. Lontchi firing back though. Good round from the big underdog. Lopez a little frustrated as he pushes Lontci back against the ropes. Lopez is short with a left hand. Lopez tries to flurry, as Lontchi dances away. Much better performance from the challenger. 11:20... "You've got to use your jab, JuanMa" - Lopez' corner. 11:20... Round 6 is underway. 11:23... Raul Marquez gave Lontchi the 5th round. Marotta agrees. Lopez edging forward. Lontchi gets away from a left hand and tries to jump in with a combo, and then quickly dances away. Juanma again missing over the top with a left. Juanma should be using that jab, going to the body. He's not having much luck going upstairs. Lontchi with a right hand. Decent left by Lopez. Lopez is short with a left. 1:00 left in the round. Lopez with a couple of left hands. Lontchi fired back though. Lopez fires off a left, and there's another clinch. Now Juanma goes downstairs hard with a couple shots, but Lontchi responds again by throwing back. There's the bell. 11:24... "You've got to get inside and hit him in the body." - Lontchi's corner. 11:28... Lontchi fires off a right hand into the guard. Lopez short with a left. Lontchi with a right hand into the guard. Lopez with a nice left hand to the body. Lontchi gets caught with an uppercut. Lopez follows up with a hook, but it's over the top and misses. Lontchi fires back with a right, but it's ahort. Lopez keeping plugging forward, trying to land his power shots. Lontchi dancing away to his left. He flurries, and gets out quickly. Lopez witha hard digging left hand to the body. Lonchi with his guard up, is vulnerable downstairs. Lopez with a hard combo and drives Lontchi into the ropes. Lopez forces Lontchi in the corner, and flurries, only for Lontchi to fight his way out of the corner. Lotnch now grabs a hold of Lopez in close, trying to buy a few seconds. Now much time left in the the round. Lopez comes forward and digs another hard hook to the body as the round ends. That's really what he should be doing. Lontchi has the guard up, but he's open downstairs. 11:29... I should mention The Boxing Bulletin's Michael Nelson said he thought Lontchi had a good chance to go the distance. He's almost 2/3rds of the way there. 11:31... Lopez is making a concerted effort to go to the body here. Lontchi on the move. Lopez with a nice combo. Lontchi trying to come back with something, and they clinch. Lontchi's legs perhaps starting to show the effect of all his moving. He just landed a decent counter right though. Lopez keeps coming forward though. Lopez with a decent combo. Lontchi ties him up though. Lontchi tried to hold on there, and Lopez pushes his head down. Lopez with a decent uppercut. A clash of heads. Looks like no damage. They touch gloves. Juanma pushing forward. He's digging downstairs. Now he catches Lontchi with a little hook. Very good round here for Lopez. Lontchi is looking a little ragged as the bell rings. 11:32... Lontchi's corner tells him he's losing energy moving so much. He's got to stand and try and work on the inside. Easier said than done with the power of Lopez. 11:36... Round 9. Lopez backs Lontchi into the ropes, and flurries. He backs Lontchi into the ropes and bangs him downstairs. Lontchi fires back, but it's low and Lontchi is warned. Lopez takes a quick breather, and gets back in there. Lopez fires over the top with his straight left. Lontchi tries to fire his right, but misses. Lontchi back on the move. He tries to stop and throw, and then quickly back to circling. Lopez with a big left hand. That landed flush, and down goes Lontchi. He's up. He doesn't look steady though. Lopez patiently comes in to try and finish. He catches Lontchi with another hook. Lontchi managing to hold on though. Lontchi has a hold of Lopez' left. Lontchi hanging in there and now throwing back. 10 seconds to go in the round. There's the bell. 11:36... The knockdown came from a jab, followed up by a straight left. 11:37... This one is over. Lontchi's corner has stopped it. Good move. He wasn't going to win, and he was starting to get banged up. 11:38... Raul Marquez applauds the decision to call it a day. 11:40... Jimmy Lennon Jr. with the official announcement. "Upon advice of the corner, the fighter is unable to continue... winner by knockout, Juan Manuel Lopez." 11:44... Rich Marotta with Lopez for the post-fight interview. "Every fight is a learning experience. Tonight I learned a lot. He was a difficult tough guy style wise." Juanma says he took his time, he knew he had him. Marotta mentions the 5th round where Lontchi landed a few clean rights, did they hurt? "I did feel his punches. He doesn't have a lot of knockouts, but he does have a hard punch." Marotta asks about Juanma's body punching... "In the corner, they told me don't forget the body, you go to keep throwing there to slow him down. I listened to my corner and it worked." Who's next? "1 more defense at 122 in September or October, then moving up." 11:46... That's it for The Boxing Bulletin's live coverage of tonight's shows. We'll be back in a couple weeks for Vic Darchinyan vs Joseph Agbeko on July 11. Check out Michael Nelson's story on Maidana's come from behind win over Ortiz: Maidana Forces Himself Into Forefront With Scintillating Upset

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Juan Manuel Lopez vs Olivier Lontchi Preview

Andrew Fruman previews Saturday night's Top Rank PPV main event between Juan Manuel Lopez and Olivier Lontchi.

This Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, in the main event of Top Rank’s Latin Fury PPV show (on Super Channel in Canada) unheralded Montreal super-bantamweight Oliver Lontchi takes on arguably the sport’s most talented young star in Puerto Rico's Juan Manuel Lopez.

Make sure to check out The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage of this event

The fight will be a huge jump in class for the 26 year old Cameroonian born Canadian, who only a little less than 3 months ago had his hands full with Cecilio Santos. While Santos has challenged for titles at lower weights, and held his own with world class opposition, he’s nowhere near the same level as Lopez.

This isn’t the first time GYM has rolled the dice, sending an unproven fighter into the lion’s den. Back in January of 2007, Herman Ngoudjo another Cameroonian born Canadian (Ngoudjo and Lontchi arrived together as part of Cameroon's team at the 2001 Francophone games held in Ottawa) from the GYM stable took on former lightweight champ Jose Luis Castillo as part of an HBO double-header that also featured Ricky Hatton and Juan Urango.

The card was designed to hype a Castillo/Hatton showdown, with the little known Ngoudjo expected to be no more than cannon fodder. Instead, Ngoudjo very nearly upset the planned showdown by pushing Castillo to the brink in narrowly losing a split decision.

Can Lontchi pull off a similar surprise by giving Lopez a run for his money?

The odds are certainly stacked against him – more so than they were against Ngoudjo.

While it’s true that Castillo was considered a P4P fighter at the time, it’s also safe to say that he was on the downside of his career. Plus, the bout was at 140 pounds, and the grinding physical style that Castillo employed was bound to not be as effective with the jump in weight.

Juan Manuel Lopez on the other hand has likely not even reached his peak, and looked better than ever last time out against Gerry Penalosa. The crafty Filipino managed to last until the end of the 9th round, but took a beating for his troubles.

Prior to that, Lopez had been on a destructive run that had seen him knock out Sergio Manuel Medina, Cesar Figueroa and Daniel Ponce de Leon all in under a round.

If there was a criticism to be levied against Lopez it was that he was perhaps too reliant on his devastating right hook – but against Penalosa he mixed up his punches together nicely in steadily hammering out a dominating win.

While mostly untested at the world class level, it’s clear that the quick handed Lontchi also brings some solid attributes to the table.

Besides fast hands, he’s a determined body puncher. He throws more than one shot at a time downstairs, and often finishes combinations up by firing off a couple salvos to the mid-section. It’s paid off well, especially in his last two fights, as he finished off Santos with a left hook to the liver, and stopped Ruben Estanislao with a right hand to the solar plexus. Both men dropped in agony.

While some speedy fighters try and get in and out quickly, Lontchi instead prefers to fire off multi-punch combinations from mid-range. It’s a style that makes him exciting to watch but also vulnerable to getting tagged in return. He keeps his gloves up, but he isn’t particularly slippery and can be countered.

In a nutshell, he’s quick and scrappy, but not really a slick operator, and it’s hard to imagine Lopez not catching him clean – so how well he does will come down to his durability. He’s going to have to take some hard shots, and in order to last, his capacity for punishment will need to be world class.

Realistically, the underdog from Canada's chances are slim. There are few tougher opponents to make a splash on the world stage against than Lopez. But Lontchi has enough ability to make a really solid showing, and if he can give the Puerto Rican knockout artist some trouble, it would dramatically raise his stock.

e-mail Andrew Fruman

Make sure to check out The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage of this event

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JuanMa Keeps Getting Better

Michael Nelson gives his thoughts on the performance of Juan Manuel Lopez in his victory over Gerry Penalosa this past Saturday night.

Juan Manuel Lopez passed the second big test of his career Saturday night. Thoroughly answering many of the remaining questions left about his game, he overwhelmed the durable Gerry Penalosa and left trainer Freddie Roach with little choice but to call an end to the fight after the 9th round.

JuanMa had blown out the vast majority of his opponents before Penalosa within four rounds. Against the only man he couldn't run over, Hugo Dianzo in August 2007, he showed vulnerabilities that young fighters tend to have by slowing down late in the fight and not paying much attention to Dianzo's body.

He came much more prepared for Gerry Penalosa. Displaying incredible conditioning, he swamped the 36 year old with power punches while remaining responsible defensively, picking off or slipping most of Penalosa's counters. With the bigger, stronger Lopez working every minute of every round, Penalosa was never able to back him off. Worst, the deep waters Gerry and Freddie were hoping for never arrived. Lopez hardly took a deep breath during the action.

Even more impressive was the variety of punches Lopez threw. Understanding that Penalosa's guard would catch most of the blows directed at his head, Lopez was determined to rip the body. Also understanding that Penalosa likes to get low and duck under his opponent's punches, Lopez wasn't nearly as reliant on the right hook as he was in previous fights. He handcuffed Penalosa's head movement by consistently shooting the uppercut underneath. Trainer Alex Caraballo came up with a great game plan, and Lopez executed it with perfection.

Perhaps the only scantron bubble left unmarked pertains to how fast Lopez will escalate up the pound-for-pound ratings. Right now, it seems to be more of a matter of when than if. With the violence of the Israel Vasquez-Rafael Marquez trilogy taking a huge chunk out of the careers of both men, I'm not sure who at 122 pounds would threaten to beat the 25 year old phenom. Celestino Caballero is on quite a run and may be the man with the tools to test Lopez' whiskers. But with Celestino's leaky defense, it's hard to favor him in a shootout.

Meanwhile, a word must be said about Gerry Penalosa. Clearly outgunned throughout the fight, Gerry could have easily gone into survival mode and dropped a lopsided decision instead of having a TKO by 9 on his record.

But Penalosa has never been about just surviving. Regardless of who he's up against and where the fight is taking place, he believes he can win and he does his damndest to make that belief into reality. So while it's likely he'll fall just short of the Hall of Fame, Gerry's a special fighter who has had some tremendous performances during his 20 year career.

Freddie Roach did the right thing in pulling him out. He knows his fighter. He knows that the word 'quit' won't be found in Penalosa's vocabulary. Someone needed to do what was best, and look out for the interests of the remainder of Penalosa's career, and more importantly, his life beyond boxing.

As often happens in boxing, a young man shined brightest at the behest of an older man's fading glimmer. But neither fighter's performance last night will soon be forgotten.

e-mail Michael Nelson
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Saturday Night Fights Live Blog

We're trying something new tonight at The Boxing Bulletin. We're going to do some live blogging. We'll be following along with both cards, starting with the Showtime broadcast at 9 PM EST, and switching over to the HBO show after Froch/Taylor finishes.

Coverage will start at 9 PM EST. I'll be commenting throughout the evening, and will definitely remark on all the key events, but it won't be a truly comprehensive blow by blow coverage. If you're looking for that, I recommend checking out Bad Left Hook's live blog. Those guys do an excellent job every week.

9:04...We're under way. Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein are handling the duties for Showtime. 9:08... Carlos DeLeon Jr and Allan Green are both in the ring. Jimmy Lennon Jr. has the intros. 9:11... We're underway. Al Bernstein mentions how important the early part of the bout will be for DeLeon, as he's making a big jump up in class. Decent opening round. Green landed a really nice combo with about 20 seconds left, and there was some good action to close the round, with both guys ripping shots. 9:15... DeLeon certainly didn't look out of his depth in the first round. Green won it, but the action was competitive. And just as I say that, Green lands a huge left hook, sending DeLeon crashing to the canvas. He's up at 6. Doesn't look too fresh, but chooses to get back in there and start trading... and he's down again. 1:40 still left in the round. DeLeon is in big trouble, and down he goes. He doesn't have his legs, but he's back in there. 1:10 still to go in the round. DeLeon is down again. That's it. 9:21... The time of the stoppage was 1:06 of the 2nd round. DeLeon never really had his legs after the first knockdown. He jumped back in right away and landed a left hook, but immediately got caught again with a hook, and sent back towards the ropes before he went down again. 9:22... Green tells Jim Gray that he wants the winner of Froch/Taylor next. On the first knockdown: Green says that DeLeon kept throwing a long left jab to the body, and he kept countering with his right hand, and was just waiting for DeLeon to get a little brave, so he could open up with the hook. 9:24... Green's picking Froch to win the main-event. 9:32... Showtime's filling some time at the moment with highlights from last night's Shobox card. 9:38... Bernstein's going over the "Keys to victory". For JT, it's - use the jab, no rounds off and land the right. "Froch can be hit with right hands, and Taylor will need to land it early and often." For Froch, the keys are - keep the left up, don't lunge and land the uppercut. "Froch has fight ending power in his uppercuts, and he can deliver that punch with both hands... and since Kelly Pavlik used the uppercut well against Taylor on the inside, expect to see this tonight from Froch." 9:47 Taylor starts with a big right over the top. Very crisp jabs and a few other right hands over the jab. They've worked on that in camp obviously. Froch finds his way a little in the middle of the round. Cute hook by Taylor ends the round. Taylor's round. 9:54.. Round 2 could have gone either way though I though Froch got more of what he wanted. Both are lining each other up. Mostly a battle of jabs, though they exchanged wildly to end it. 9:58... Great 3rd round. Taylor caught Froch with a huge right hand, only for Froch to come right back. A little later on, with about 45 seconds left, Taylor hurt Froch and put him down with a right. Froch was clearly buzzed, but got up and got right back in there. Great stuff. 10:02... Froch is okay after the rough ending to the 4th round, and the action was a bit more cautious in the 4th. Froch is getting a chewing out from his trainer. Press row has Taylor up 40-35, 39-36 and 39-36. 10:06... Taylor landed a really nice left hook to the body about 45 seconds in the round. Froch is showing quite a bit of respect here. Taylor meanwhile is looking very comfortable. He just slipped a right, and tied Froch up in close. Taylor was just warned after a left hook that landed around the belt-line. 10:10... Froch opens up the 6th trying to work the jab. Soemething he hasn't done enough of. Froch just landed a thudding right hand that backed up Taylor for a second, but he took it well given how clean it looked. Now Froch getting a little more aggressive. Tainer Rob McCracken told Froch to throw 1-2's between rounds, and it's working for him here. Better from Froch in the 6th, although Taylor had a good flurry to finish it. 10:14... Gus Johnson comments on Taylor's defense being excellent. It has been good, and he's looked fairly comfortable when under attack. Froch is now starting to put a bit of pressure on, but JT manages though to keep working his jab, and not let Froch load up too much. Interesting 7th round. Froch was the more aggressive of the two, but Taylor landed some nice clean jabs. 10:17... Froch is starting to find the range here in the 8th with his right hand. Taylor's not really letting his hands go at the moment. Bernstein comments that JT looks like he's trying to buy some time here. Taylor is using the ring here, backing away. After Froch controlled the first 2:50 of the round, Taylor had an excellent flurry at the end. He caught Froch with a couple really nice clean shots, and I think wobbled him a bit. McCracken isn't pleased. 10:19... The big punch from JT at the end was a left uppercut. Landed flush and shook Froch. 10:20... Bernstein is saying that Froch should stick to the 1-2's. They've been what's working for him. 10:22... Froch is moving forward here, while Taylor is using his jab to keep a comfortable distance. Round 9 has been a close one. JT's in retreat, but Froch is only cautiously attacking and not landing anything of note, while JT catches him with the occasional counter. Press Row has it 87-83, 86-85 and 86-84 for Taylor. 10:26... Froch comes out aggressively in the 10th and has some success. Froch firing off some 1-2's. 1:30 into the round and JT hasn't really let his hands go at all. JT is giving ground here. Froch continues to press and he's landing. JT occasionally opens up with something flashy. Good round for Froch. 10:27... The scores are tightening on press-row...96-93, 95-95 and 95-94. 10:30... Froch is fighting like he knows he needs these final 2 rounds to have a chance. JT being very cautious. Froch lands a looping right hand on the side of Taylor's head. JT loads up and misses with a big uppercut. Froch has been open for that when he lunges in. JT misses with a right and eats an uppercut and holds on. Froch is having things mostly his way here, and then suddenly JT opens up with some combos and catches Froch clean. Froch digs back though. Exciting action here. Froch lands a hard right hand. Froch with an uppercut. Still a minute left in the round. Froch eats a hard right, but fires right back. They are trading power shots. Taylor with a right hand over the top. Exciting stuff here. Froch forces Taylor into the corner. Hell of a round. Great stuff! 10:31... Press row has it a draw right now. 1-1-1. Bernstein has Taylor up by 2. 10:34... Froch coming forward. JT looking to counter, and he does with a huge right hand that sends sweat flying. Froch roars back though. This is really exciting stuff. Froch has opened up, and JT has hung in there and met him head on. 2:00 minutes left. Froch with a jab and a huge right hand! Taylor is in trouble. Froch chases him! Taylor backs off and holds on. 1:30 left. Taylor was badly hurt and is still in trouble. Froch comes forward trying to finish. Does Froch have enough left. He's pouring it on. JT backs into the corner and he's in big trouble. He's wobbling backwards and eats another big shot, but he somehow throws back! Wow. Froch pours it on and JT is down. 30 seconds left. He's up at 8. He's a little unsteady. He's allowed to continued. He's in bad shape. Froch trying to finish. JT's done. It's over! Wow! One of the greatest finishes you'll ever see. What a fight! 10:35... JT is getting checked out by the doctor. He took some big punishment there, and really dug deep to stay on his feet as long as he could. Really ballsy effort. 10:36... Taylor is on his feet (he was on his feet at the time of the stoppage, but was sitting down while being examimed). He's okay. Absolutely stunning. Showtime are showing the replay, and the camera's on Taylor sitting on the floor in the corner with 25 seconds left. There's no way it looks like he can get up. But he does, and he desperately tries to fight on. 10:37... I need to catch my breath. 10:38... According to Gus Johnson, if Taylor would have managed to finish the fight, he would have won on the cards. The time of the stoppage was 2:46. 10:40... Froch is talking with Jim Gray. "I needed a big round and I got it." 10:42... Froch says he'll definitely give Taylor a rematch. Taylor wants it. No surprise there. I think we'd all love to see it. 10:45... Jim Gray is asking referee Michael Ortega why he didn't let the fight go. Given the state Taylor was in, this seems like a bizarre question. There was still 15 seconds left, and Taylor's hands had dropped. He was clearly done. I don't think it's even debatable. To his credit, Taylor had no issues with Ortega's decision. 10:47... The judges cards at the time of the stoppage where 106-102 twice for Taylor and 106-102 for Froch on the other card. Off to HBO! 10:49... Just in time to hear Harold Lederman going over the rules. Lopez has a 3 pound advantage, as he'd hydrated back up to 131 while Penalosa is at 128. 10:54... The fighters are in the ring, and Michael Buffer is doing the intros. 10:57... Final instructions have been given, and we're seconds away from getting underway. 11:01... Lopez is edging forward a little, while Penalosa appears very composed as he looks to counter. Penalosa manages to tie Lopez up and the youngster whacks him in the body for his troubles. Lopez is warned for a left hand that landed on the hip. Penalosa is managing to slip most of Lopez' stuff upstairs, but he's digging the occasional nice shot downstairs. Interesting opening round. Penalosa stood his ground over the final 20 seconds and didn't take the worst of it. 11:05... We're into round 2. Something new for JuanMa given his recent history. Lopez coming forward, firing heavy looking combos. He's also following up by digging downstairs, while Penalosa attempts to duck and dodge before firing back. Every once in awhile, Penalosa comes back with a flurry, but he's mostly on the defensive. Lopez just looks like the stronger man whenever they exchange, and he's really letting his hands go nicely. I might be wrong, but I think some of those shots downstairs will have Penalosa in a bad way before long. 11:06... Harold has it 2-0 for Lopez. 11:09... Lopez comes right out putting the pressure on. Firing the jab, following it up with hooks, up and down. Penalosa digs downstairs with his own body shot, and jumps in with a combo. He's countering nicely in spots, but he's getting banged around a bit in the process. JuanMa just keeps pushing forward. Gerry's now standing his ground more, and he's bouncing a little, but Lopez comes firing back and pushes him back. He's throwing some really nice little shots inside. Penalosa trying to rip back now, as they slug it out at the end of the 3rd. 11:10... HBO shows a graphic indicating the body work Lopez has been hammering Penalosa with. Harold has it 3-0. 11:11... Harold comments that Penalosa is fighting the wrong fight when he bangs in the middle of the ring. Not sure what options he has. He's going to get run over if he just backs up. He needs to do something to keep JuanMa honest. 11:13... Lopez now forcing Penalosa from one side of the ring to the other, as the older man is again in retreat. Kellerman comments on JuanMa's accuracy and patience. He's banging Penalosa along the ropes here. Gerry tries to counter back. 11:14... Lopez is averaging 101 punches thrown per round. Many of them of the hurtful variety. 11:17... Gerry's doing his best here to keep Lopez at bay. He's got his guard up, elbows tucked, moving his head, sticking the jab and countering when he can. But he doesn't have the firepower and Lopez just keep pushing forward, digging in with a variety of hard shots thrown in combination. They exchange right hands, and Lopez lands with more authority and he pushes Penalosa back into the ropes. Penalosa fires back, and JuanMa comes back and keeps firing. High quality stuff. 11:18... Harold has it 5-0. 11:21... Lopez comes right out, moving forward, letting his hands go. Penalosa moving from side to side, trying to keep Lopez at bay, but the pressure is relentless. It's a controlled pressure. Steady, with lots of body work mixed in. Lopez just digging hard shots in here. Penalosa trying to fire back, but he's getting the worst of it. He's looking like he's in a bit of trouble. Lopez presses forward. Hooks to the body. Heavy shots upstairs. Penalosa is on the ropes here. He tries to fire back, but Lopez with his head down, just keeping banging away. Not sure how much longer Penalosa can take this. Lopez again bangs hard to the body, and Penalosa backs into the ropes. Gerry gets away from the ropes, but Lopez follows him and keeps up the pressure. Roach tells Penalosa in the corner he's getting hit too much. You've got to feel that another round like that and Freddie might call this off. 11:25... Every once in awhile, Penalosa lands a nice clean counter, but it's not making a dent on Lopez, who keeps pushing forward. Lopez chases Penalosa into the corner and continues his assault. Gerry slips out of there, but JuanMa's on him right away. Penalosa fires off a nice combo, but JuanMa forces him backwards again. There's really nothing Penalosa can do. He's showing guts, but I can't see this lasting too much longer. Lopez is just landing some heavy shots, but Penalosa fires back. "The fact that Penalosa is having his moments here is unfathomable," says Kellerman. 11:26... Lopez asked his corner if he was winning after that round. That's a real testament to the gutsy display Penalosa's giving here. 11:29... Lopez continues to press. Hooks to the body, and some uppercuts. Penalosa has his back to the ropes. Lopez is drilling him with some hard shots, but Penalosa rips a counter right. He's having success with those. Gerry's now managing to keep the action in the center of the ring for a bit, only to get forced back again. Lopez is digging with some uppercuts, while Gerry flurries back. Good action here. "Gerry Penalosa is not human, I can't believe what I'm seeing." - Kellerman 11:29... Roach is thinking about stopping this. He's going to give Gerry one more round. 11:30... Harold has it 8-0. 11:33... Lopez comes out banging some more power shots in while pressing forward. Gerry gets backed into the corner, but slips away. Lopez never lets up though. It's just constant pressure. He pushes Gerry into the ropes again. Bob Papa comments that Lopez has lost a little of his technique. The action is a little bit slower here, but JuanMa then turns it up with about 20 seconds to go, and they exchange bombs. Penalosa got his own in there. Interesting decision Roach will have here, because Gerry had one of his better rounds. That's it. Roach has called an end to it. 11:35... Good move from Roach. Really gutsy effort from Gerry Penalosa, but he wasn't going to win and he was taking too much punishment. 11:38... Max Kellerman asks Lopez why he asked his corner after the 6th if he was winning. Through the translator..."Because every time I fight, I always ask for guidance from the corner." Kellerman presses to ask if Lopez felt Penalosa's power? "Definitely, his right hook is his most powerful punch and several times he did get me." 11:39... Lopez mentions Marquez and Vasquez as opponents he'd like to face, although he admits he won't stay at 122 much longer. 11:41... Bob Papa says that Gerry Penalosa received a huge ovation from the crowd for his efforts. 11:42... Alright, that's it for tonight. Hope you enjoyed the debut of The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage. We'll be back next week for Pacquaio/Hatton.

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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

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Juan Manuel Lopez vs Gerry Penalosa Preview

Michael Nelson previews this Saturday's intriguing HBO Boxing After Dark main-event between Juan Manuel Lopez and Gerry Penalosa.

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Puerto Rican heritage isn't the only thing Felix Trinidad and Juan Manuel Lopez have in common.

Trinidad's left hook terrorized the Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight divisions during his reign. Thrown with the power to discombobulate his opponent at any moment during a fight, it was perhaps the most feared punch in boxing.Southpaw JuanMa Lopez' right hook is quickly gaining a similar reputation. He has finished his last three opponents with it inside the first round, including Ponce De Leon, a man notoriously hard to hurt.

But like Trinidad, while Lopez has a great deal of talent, he has apparent vulnerabilities that are covered up by the deadly efficiency of his money punch. He head hunts a bit too much. He doesn't have much of an uppercut. And his left hand is more often than not simply used as a diversion to set up his right hook. Sum it up and it'll be very interesting to see how he deals with an elite defensive fighter.

Enter Gerry Penalosa.

Never stopped in 62 fights, Penalosa's six losses have all been close or controversial. Recently, the 36 year old took Ponce De Leon to school for long stretches of their bout, only to be rewarded with miserable scorecards that suggested he got dominated.

No matter. He bounced back with a surprising come-from-behind knockout victory over the talented and rangy Jhonny Gonzales. Far from a fluke shot, he slipped Gonzales' long right hand and expertly placed a left on Jhonny's liver before he could regain position. Gonzales took a step back and dropped to a knee, paralyzed with pain. KO 7.

The main ingredient behind Penalosa's success is his defensive acumen; he deflects or slips the vast majority of punches thrown in his direction, particularly at his head. Always calm and never changing expression, Gerry's style is like Winky Wright's without the monstrous forearms - making him susceptible to being outworked as well as providing openings for a dedicated body attack.

Lopez, also a calm operator who's fairly economical with his punch output, will have to deviate from his usual game plan if he wants to outwork Penalosa or consistently rake his body. Otherwise, it could be a long night for the 25 year old Phenom.

It should be noted that Gerry has shown vulnerabilities against fellow southpaws in his younger days, as he has been hurt or dropped by the right hook in previous fights. Gerry got staggered by a Hiroshi Kawashima hook in his 1997 WBC Super Featherweight title winning effort, and suffered a first round knock down as a result of getting nailed with a right hook from Young-Joo Cho a few fights later. Although those bouts took place more than a decade ago when Penalosa was far less seasoned, he can ill afford to make similar mistakes against JuanMa Lopez. Look for him to circle away from Lopez' right hand for the majority of the night.

Lopez can firmly entrench himself as one of the top 3 young talents in the sport with a spectacular victory over a well respected boxer like Penalosa. Likewise, Penalosa can make an intriguing argument for Canastota recognition if he overcomes Lopez' size and youth to stymie the meteoric rise of a potential pound-for-pound player. There's a uniquely wide range of possibilities - neither a quick Lopez knockout or a comfortable Penalosa decision would shock me.

The only thing clear about this fight is that it's a must-see. If you're watching the competing Showtime card, make sure to set your DVR or VCR. You don't want to miss this one.

e-mail Michael Nelson
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Flash Forward to 2012: Top 3 P4P

The title of "pound-for-pound king" brings no belt or official prize, but the financial rewards that come with it are definitely real. It also looks really good on a fighter's resume.

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

The boxing landscape goes through some pretty harsh changes every year and we thought it would be interesting to see just how different things could look at the very pinnacle of the sport in three years time.

We've put our heads together and decided that perennial elites like Hopkins, Calzaghe and Marquez are likely to be out of the picture by 2012, so who will be replacing them on the P4P lists by then?

(The votes were totaled based on lists submitted by each member of The Boxing Bulletin panel - Lee Payton, Jeff Pryor, Michael Nelson, Andrew Fruman, Mark Lyons and John Vaci)

Juan Manuel Lopez (4 votes) “Another youngster who has been dynamic against the limited elite competition we've seen him in with, Lopez announced his arrival last year by blasting out Ponce De Leon in the first round. Wielding a rare combination of blazing speed and concussive power, the 25 year old Puerto Rican has begun to garner the kind of attention in his home land that suggests he may be the true successor to Trinidad's throne. Most recently, pitted against Sergio Manuel Medina (33-1), who was to provide a stern test and extend Lopez, he instead blasted out his opponent, again within the first frame. Lopez's team got on him for his listless performance against Hugo Dianzo on the Morales-Diaz undercard. Since then he's been all action and high intensity. It is that kind of ability to adjust and utilize criticism that may propel "Juanma" to the pinnacle of sport.” - JP “The 122 lb titlist from Puerto Rico has the talent to be a great fighter, but it is timing that gives him a real chance at rising to the top of the pound-for-pound lists. The junior featherweight division has a lot of character. Mexican legends Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez are thought of as two of the best fighters in the world thanks to their epic trilogy, and Celestino Caballero is a cobra waiting to strike. These fighters are extremely dangerous, but Lopez has something over all of them - time. At 25 years old, he has lots of it. We don't know just how much the two Mexicans have left after taking part in three of the most brutal fights in recent boxing history. In another year or two, they will have gotten older, while Lopez gets stronger. He's got a powerful promotional firm, tons of talent, a growing fan base and he fights in a division where the top guys might be a little long in the tooth. The opportunity is there for this little lefty.” – LP “It looks like Lopez has serious power and skills. He just hasn’t had much tough competition yet. He’s young enough where he’ll probably still be at the top of his game in 2012---and blowing out Ponce De Leon was impressive.” – JV “If he’s as durable as he is skilled, the sky’s the limit for the quick handed, explosively powerful junior featherweight. Hopefully he’ll soon get a chance to prove himself against some of high level talent around 122.” - AF

Paul Williams (3 votes) “The Punisher has a built-in pound-for-pound edge given his height. This 6'2 left-hander has the body to fight effectively at 147-168 lbs, and has shown a willingness to fight anyone in those weight classes. Paul's physical gifts are obvious upon one look, but it's his fighting spirit that has me convinced that he will be a major player for years to come. While he's not the most technically proficient guy out there, his durability and guts make him a nightmare for pretty much everyone. Up next is Winky Wright. A win there will have the major networks even more interested.” – LP “Out of the young fighters I find most promising, Paul Williams is the most tested. His chin and durability aren't in question after his heated 2007 battle with Antonio Margarito, but what’s most striking is the ability he has shown to learn and improve. Since the slick Puerto Rican southpaw Carlos Quintana defeated him in an early 2008 upset, Williams went from an awkward, swarming fighter who wasn't considered to be a big puncher to a more conscientious knockout artist, thoughtful of where he places his shots. His last three fights are a testament to his adaptability, which will be needed to remain on top of his game for years to come. His willingness to fight tough opponents doesn't hurt either.” – MN “For my money Paul Williams is the toughest man in the game. I honestly don't see anyone from 147-160 beating him anytime soon. Seeing him sit down on his punches more and fight tall has to be giving any possible opponents nightmares. Putting knockout power with the overwhelming activity and his granite chin makes the future inevitably bright for the Punisher.” – ML

Jorge Linares (3 votes) “A relative unknown until his dismantling of perennially underrated Oscar Larios, Jorge Linares is already an awe inspiring, technically impressive boxer at age 23. His precision combination punching is a rival to any fighter's in the sport. It's time to ratchet up the competition for Linares and see just how good he can be, but from everything seen so far the "Golden Boy" has shown little in the way of weaknesses. A bout against Rocky Juarez, Chris John or Humberto Soto might kick start the kid into the recognized elite and start building the necessary resume for a pound for pound run.” – JP “With his size, quickness, and explosive power, Jorge may be the fighter with the most potential on the list, but the lack of activity and progress in his career since his dominant victory over Oscar Larios in July of 2007 is a point of concern. It's not hard to envision a scenario where we don't see Linares against a name opponent until 2010. Regardless, junior lightweight and its surrounding divisions is laden with talent, so he should be able to lock down big fights eventually. Don't be fooled by the 65% knockout ratio, Linares can pop. I've seen him knock at least five fighters out cold with a single punch; a type of power that I think gives him an edge against prospective elite opponents.” - MN “He certainly looks like he has all the tools for big time stardom. He just needs to stay active, but unfortunately injuries have limited Linares to only 2 fights since his American debut against Larios back in June of 2007. If he can stay healthy – and right now he is – very big things await the smooth boxing, big punching Japanese based junior lightweight.” - AF

Chad Dawson (2 votes) “The 26 year old southpaw has already displayed some of the important intangibles that make fighters great. This might be slightly blasphemous to some, but I think Bad Chad has some Roy Jones in him. He's a fabulous athlete who is capable of throwing stinging combinations with great speed. He was defensively responsible and cool-headed while defeating Tomasz Adamek, and was able to come up with the answer when he was dropped late by a fantastic right hand. He showed that he could stick to a plan all night when he beat up Antonio Tarver for 12 rounds. And his fighting heart was on display in a war with the stubborn warrior, Glen Johnson. Interestingly, it's his willngness to fight that has some holding off when it comes to the declaration of Chad Dawson as the future, but I see it as a plus. I was impressed with how he responded to being put through the meat grinder against Johnson. He acted like a champion, and that's not something he was taught. This guy is going to be fun to watch for years.” – LP “This guy has everything you could want in a fighter. I believe my thoughts on him have already been expressed here: The Future P4P King" – ML Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

Manny Pacquiao (1 vote) “Sure, he'll be thirty three in 2012, but it's not so far fetched to see Pacquiao's continuing progression as a fighter extend his longevity with the help of Freddy Roach's tutelage. Over the next few years I could see the Filipino bouncing between 135-147, taking on and taking out well chosen marquee names, before settling into 147 and riding out the remainder of his career there. He will have the fodder to maintain his lofty status, in the form of plentiful and meaningful opposition, and I think he's a fighter who can hang around the top of the pound for pound list for several years to come.” - JP

Timothy Bradley (1 vote) Photo © Justin McKie “Like Linares, Timothy Bradley has only had one test: his split decision over Junior Witter to win the WBC light welterweight title last year. Impressive in his poise and defense, I didn't view the fight as being that close. Certainly not as close as the 112-115, 114-113, 115-113 scorecards indicated. His head movement, jab, quick right hand, and dedicated body punching would be hell for anyone. The only factor I see inhibiting his rise to the top is his size; he'd be a small welterweight, should he decide to move up for more lucrative bouts.” – MN

Juan Diaz (1 vote) “The way Juan responded against Michael Katsidis after a very hard loss to Nate Campbell showed me all I needed to know about the mental strength in this young warrior. Critics have gone on for quite sometime about many "weaknesses" in the Baby Bull. I don't see it. I see a nasty body puncher with very fast hands and the toughness to remain at the top for a lengthy stretch. I think his accent on these lists will begin later this month.” - ML

Victor Ortiz (1 vote) “He’s kind of a long-shot, but he’s got the talent. He has plenty of power and if he can improve his overall skills a little, he could be quite dominant.” - JV Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

Devon Alexander (1 vote) “He looks to have the slickness and skill to be world class. Still a very big question mark in terms of his elite potential as he hasn’t yet faced top opposition, but to be P4P, you need at least one very solid dimension, along with some complementary skills, and his boxing skills are looking very good up to this point.” – JV

Mikkel Kessler (1 vote) “So far, a decision loss in Cardiff against one of the sport’s best fighters is the only blemish on Kessler’s record. Before that fight, the 168 pound Dane found himself in the lower half of many P4P lists, but a hand injury has limited his activity since then. As the best fighter in a stacked division, Kessler will get plenty of chances against quality opposition to re-affirm is status as one of the world’s best.” - AF

What's your opinion? Who do you think the best of the best will be 3 years from now?

Our list is dominated by young fighters, but perhaps some savvy veteran that we had written off, or never fully recognized will earn an overdue spot near the top of the pound for pound list, like Calzaghe, Marquez and Hopkins before him.

No matter who ultimately perches atop the 2012 pound for pound list, no doubt we'll all be watching, punch for punch, as they stake their claim for greatness. The old axiom of story telling holds true for boxing too; the joy is in the journey, not so much the destination.

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