SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, – WBO Featherweight Champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” López is confident in a win against Mexican and former IBF Featherweight Champion Orlando Salido this Saturday, April 16th, at the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, in a Top Rank and PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP) presentation to be televised by Showtime.
“I’m very well trained for this bout, I know Salido, a strong fighter a former world champion”, Lopez said during tha final press conference held today at Verdanza Hotel in Isla Verde, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
López (30-0, 27 KOs) will make the third defense of the title that he won in January 2010 when he knocked out Steven Luevano and then achieved KOs against Bernabé Concepción and Rafael Márquez. In Salido (34-11-2 y 22 nocauts), López will face a veteran fighter, who was an IBF Featherweight Champion who fought versus former World Champions as Alejandro “La Cobrita” González, César “La Cobrita” Soto, Robert Guerrero and Cristóbal Cruz, and actual Champions like Juan Manuel Márquez and Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Also in the TV transmission, WBO Latino champion Luis Cruz (17-0, 14 KOs) will fight against Martin Honorio (29-5-1, 15 KOs). There will be another six bouts in the show. TV starts at 10:30 p.m.
Quintero vs. Tolmajyan this Friday
After defeating Nick Casal back in early ’09 on ShoBox: The Next Generation, the future looked bright for Tijuana super featherweight Marvin Quintero (21-3, 17 KOs). Once he got through Wes Ferguson, some months later, it was only a matter of time before Quintero followed in the footsteps of stablemate Antonio DeMarco and challenge for a title.
But then he faced Tyrone Harris and the train got derailed via an eight round TKO. Since then, Quintero has been trying to get it back on course. He gets his next opportunity this Friday night on the semi-main event of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” from the Pechanga Resort and Casino when he faces late sub Gabriel “The Ghost” Tolmajyan (10-1, 3 KOs) in a scheduled ten rounder. The southpaw Quintero, originally of Culiacan, Mexico, was supposed to face hard-hitting former title challenger Ji Hoon Kim (22-7, 18KOs) but that face-off was scratched after Kim was diagnosed with a detached retina earlier this week.
Quintero is a quick and tricky southpaw with an intelligent come-forward style coupled with relentless pressure. A seven year pro, Quintero amassed superb amateur career under the tutelage of Romulo Quirarte at the CREA gym in the heart of Tijuana where Quintero is sought after as a tough sparring partner by the likes of stable mate Antonio DeMarco as well as WBC lightweight champ Humberto “Zorrita” Soto, title contender Mercito Gesta and up and coming prospect Antonio Orozco among others.
Darchinyan-Perez on April 23
Former flyweight and super flyweight champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan of Sydney, Australia, by way of Vanadzok, Armenia, says his experiment with being a boxer is now over.
“I’m coming back to show everyone how strong I am,” he explains. “In my last fight, I wanted to prove I have skills by moving around and that’s not me. It was my first and last fight as a boxer. I’m back to show my aggression and destroy anyone in front of me!”
Fighting in the co-feature of “The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All” event on Saturday, April 23, and live on SHOWTIME® (10:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast), at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles, Darchinyan will be looking to rebound from a split decision loss to WBC Silver Champion Abner Mares by taking on former IBF Bantamweight Champion Yonnhy Perez.
Fighting Perez, says Darchinyan, is exactly what he needed to get back on track. “I read an interview with him and he is saying he’s going to knock me out. I needed someone to talk about me like that. I’m going to knock him out badly. I will destroy him. Everyone thinks I’m not as powerful at bantamweight. After this fight, everyone will be talking about my power again.”
Darchinyan says he’s been in an especially foul mood in the run-up to this bout because of his experience in his last fight. While he holds no grudge against Mares who he says was just doing his job, referee Robert Howard is a different story.
“The referee let Mares hit me low over and over and didn’t take enough points. He should have been disqualified. I was very upset with the referee. I got so tired and I think everyone can see it wasn’t because I wasn’t fit. It was my frustration with all the low blows. If you listen to the tape of that fight, in the eighth round, you can hear the referee lean in and say ‘I can’t cover you anymore. Don’t do it again or I have to take a point.’ I couldn’t believe it. And meanwhile, every second he was telling me don’t measure him; don’t put your left hand in front of you. What did he mean? He took me out of my game plan. I should have knocked him out cold.”
35-year-old Darchinyan says if big fights aren’t forthcoming after his victory over Perez, he’s not afraid of moving up again. “I want to collect all belts in this division, but if I can’t get a fight with one of the champions, then I’ll move up a division and fight for a title there. In a couple years, I will get tired of training, but right now I’m a hungry and eager to win more belts.”
He tried to play it your way and be a nice boxer with good movement and smooth skills. But that’s not how Vic Darchinyan does thing. He’s a raging bull in a china shop, smashing everything to bits whenever possible. That’s his way. And on Saturday, April 23, Darchinyan is planning on having it his way again.
“I can’t say what round Perez will fall; I just know sooner or later I will destroy him. I don’t think he’s been down in his career, but many of my opponents have never been down and I knocked them out cold. I will do it again this time.”
Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25 are on sale now and available for purchase online at Ticketmaster.com and via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at STAPLES Center Box Office.