By Thomas Gerbasi

More humble than your average world champion (and probably more humble than your average group of champions), WBO super bantamweight boss Juan Manuel Lopez doesn’t specialize or even dabble in incendiary trash talk or outlandish statements. So when he tells you of the importance of his Saturday title defense against Rogers Mtagwa, you would normally just shrug it off as JuanMa being JuanMa – respectful, classy, and doing what it takes to make sure the WAMU Theatre at Madison Square Garden is filled on fight night.

But he’s right.

Sure, with a 26-0 record, four successful title defenses and consideration as one of boxing’s ten best, pound for pound, Lopez should have little problem taking out the tough, but limited Mtagwa, whose title shot may just be the boxing equivalent of a gold watch for 12 years of gallant service in the line of duty.

But in this day and age, it’s not if you win, but how, and with prospective dance partners like Israel Vazquez and Yuriorkis Gamboa all fighting on the same night, and fellow 122-pound champ Celestino Caballero no doubt watching intently, Lopez is well aware that if he wants the big fights in 2010, he has to finish off 2009 and Mtagwa in style. So in other words, Saturday night may be the most important night of his pro career.

“I have a job to do and Saturday is an important fight,” said Lopez to BoxingScene.com through ace Top Rank publicist Ricardo Jimenez. “I have to get rid of that guy, I have to look good, and then think about what’s next. I think I know what kind of fighters Caballero, Vazquez, and Gamboa are, and when the time comes to fight them, I’ll be concentrating on them.”

And if Mtagwa can get Lopez into a war similar to the one he had when he defeated Tomas Villa in their 2008 classic and pull off the upset, there will be quite the wrench thrown into Lopez and Top Rank’s New Year’s plans. So expect to see some new wrinkles from the 26-year old southpaw when the bell rings in New York City.

“I think this is one of those fights where you’re probably gonna see me boxing a lot,” said Lopez. “I’m gonna have to look for the angles, look for the best form to attack him, and you’re gonna see a lot more boxing from me than you normally see.”

Calm down, that doesn’t mean he’s abandoning the Terminator-esque style that has produced 24 knockouts in 26 victories. In fact, he’s calling for the knockout, even though it may be later rather than sooner.

“It’s one of those things where this guy’s gonna be in front of me most of the night, so I think my strength is eventually gonna beat him,” said Lopez. “He’s not gonna last the whole fight. I’ll knock him out maybe late, but I’ll knock him out.”

If he does, he will have completed Phase Two of his career, setting the stage for the bouts that will define him.

“It’s a big compliment that people think I’m at that stage right now,” he said. “I think I have a lot of work to do and I still think that I need to do a lot more in the ring and have those big fights that mark your career.”

It’s been smooth sailing thus far, thanks not only to Lopez’ talent, but the promoting and matchmaking wizardry of Top Rank, the company that may know how to develop a fighter better than any in boxing. Just look at Miguel Cotto and Kelly Pavlik, or even the early careers of Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather.

But now the task is to see whether Lopez can surpass his predecessors. That’s the fun part, because Lopez is at the point in his career and life where everything is perfect – his record, his reputation, his physical gifts. At 26, you can conquer the world. But what happens at 27, 28, 29, and 30? Will he start to get hit with injuries, will outside forces get in his ear, will he start thinking more like a businessman and less like a fighter? All signs point to no, at least when it comes to falling prey to things outside the ring that he can control.

“I’m gonna keep my feet right on the ground,” said Lopez. “I’m not gonna think I’m much more than I am. I’m just a human being like everybody else. I know I work hard at my craft and what I need to do, but I’m never gonna get a big head about this. I know how hard it is to get here.”

So Lopez stays humble (having five kids also aids in that process), stays focused and follows closely in the footsteps of those who have come before him in this most recent era – his boxing hero Felix Trinidad, Cotto, and Ivan Calderon. But don’t take his soft-spoken demeanor for weakness, as evidenced when he’s asked about the sometimes off-color trash talk Caballero has utilized in his quest for a showdown with “JuanMa”. Then the fighter comes out.

“I don’t like that kinda stuff,” said Lopez. “As far as I’m concerned, he (Caballero) is just a clown. I’m a professional and he has not acted like a professional. But when the time comes, and I hope it comes soon, I’m gonna really shut his mouth up.”

That’s as much trash talk as you’ll get out of Lopez, and that’s a good thing. It’s also why, after getting a taste of his talent and attitude over the last year of his championship reign, the island of Puerto Rico has responded with the type of loyalty and attention most fighters would kill for. It also took Lopez by surprise a bit.

“I personally try not to change,” he said. “I’m a family guy, and I think of my family first, but yeah, every time I go anywhere, a lot of people recognize me and come up to me, and it has been a change from just being a normal fighter now to a champion and someone that people follow.”

The days of ‘normal’ are over for Caguas’ Lopez. Now it’s all about pound-for-pound lists, getting called out by fellow champions, big fights, and building a legacy. So if you think his third fight in New York City this weekend is just a tune-up or a showcase, that’s not the way Lopez sees it. To him, the fight with Rogers Mtagwa is the first fight of the rest of his career.

“When I hear those kinds of things, people calling me out and everything, I know I’m doing the right thing,” he smiles. “I think I’ve got a real good team that has put me where I am, a good company behind me, so when I hear those things, I know I’m on the right path, and I’m working hard to get there.”