By Jhonny Gonzalez
Former world champion Juan Manuel "Juanma" Lopez will appeal the sanctions imposed by the Boxing Commission of Puerto Rico (CBPPR). On Tuesday, the commission announced their sanctions - punishing the boxer for last month's comments against referee Roberto Ramirez Sr. During a live televised interview, Lopez called Ramirez "a gambler" after getting stopped in ten rounds by Mexico's Orlando Salido on March 10th in San Juan.
The Puerto Rico Commission has announced that Lopez is now suspended for a period of one year (after serving time for medical suspension until September), and he was hit with a $10,000 fine and 100 hours of community service.
"We will definitely appeal the penalty, which we believe is too much for a boxer. We are already meeting with Juanma and his entire legal team and to carry out this appeal, "said Peter Rivera, vice president of PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP), the company that co-promotes Lopez with Top Rank.
Lopez recently held a press conference to issue a public apology to Ramirez and he stated during a hearing with a rep appointed by the Puerto Rico Commission that he didn't have any evidence to indicate that Ramirez had a gambling problem.