By Mark Vester

According to Peter Rivera of Puerto Rico Best Boxing, a deal has been reached for WBO super bantamweight champ Juan Manuel Lopez (23-0, 21KOs) to take on Sergio Medina (33-1, 18KOs) of Argentina on the undercard to Oscar De La Hoy vs. Manny Pacquiao on December 6.

They wanted to fight WBO bantamweight champ Gerry Penalosa, but were unable to meet his demand of $250,000 dollars for the fight. Filipino Bernabe Concepcion was also being considered for the fight, but they felt Medina had the better record, and also Concepcion was recovering from a cut suffered during his last fight and there was question as to whether or not he would be ready in time. If everything goes well with Medina, they want Penalosa for early 2009. BoxingScene.com writer Ronnie Nathanielsz recently reported that Penalosa was going to sit out until the early part of next year.

"It's a good opportunity for the career of Juanma, since he will be seen by a big audience in the Philippines, the United States, Mexico and now the people of Argentina will watch.  We were seeking more eyes on that event," Rivera told El Nuevo Dia.

"Medina has a good record and is a solid fighter. He has better record than Bernabé Conception. Overall, a fight with Concepcion did not contribute anything new to the event, since the Philippines market is a lock to watch with Pacquiao. If all turns out well with Medina, Penalosa is the candidate we would like for Juanma's first fight in 2009, in either February or March." 

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com