By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum predicts that Puerto Rico’s Juan Manuel Lopez ( 22-0, 20 KO's) will be the “next big superstar of Top Rank.”
Arum made the comment after Lopez annihilated WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (34-2, 30 KO's) in a one-round massacre at the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.
In a conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today prior to the fight, Arum expressed confidence Lopez would win and said that if North American Boxing Federation champion Bernabe Concepcion (25-1-1, 14 KO's) wins impressively in his scheduled July 26 fight, he may give him a crack at Lopez' title.
But most boxing experts who watched Lopez against the hitherto menacing Ponce De Leon expressed fears of a mismatch saying Concepcion was far from ready to face the devastating puncher that is Lopez.
Although Arum himself thinks very highly of Concepcion there are doubts whether he will put him in the same ring with Lopez at this time. However, Arum said “ there’s a kid that’s really good at 122 out of the Philippines, Bernabe Concepcion who might have the guts to go in with Lopez.”
Arum predicted that Lopez “is going to be absolutely great.” He said that Lopez would be alongside Kelly Pavlik, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao as “one of our stars.”
Meantime, Concepcion arrived in Los Angeles and is staying at the plush apartment of Pacquiao not far from the Wild Card Gym where Pacquiao trains. Trainer Freddie Roach said Pacquiao had called Aljoe Jaro to ask him to send Concepcion immediately . Pacquiao called even as Jaro announced he would only leave on June 24 with him since he wanted to protect Concepcion from individuals who wanted to get him away from him as manager.
However, Roach claimed Concepcion had been signed up by Pacquiao and despite his public posture, Jaro allowed Concepcion to leave.