Juanma To Start Training Camp For Steven Luevano

Oct 29, 2009 • 12:00 AM ET

By Mark Vester

Juan Manuel Lopez has no issues with fighting WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano in New York. He wanted the fight to take place in Puerto Rico. The production costs for Puerto Rico were too high and the fight is likely going to happen at the WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden on January 23.

"I've always dreamt of become a champion in Puerto Rico, but I do not have any problems with the fight being in New York", Lopez told Primera Hora. "Against Daniel Ponce De Leon I was not able to [become a champion in Puerto Rico] and I would have liked to have been able to against Luevano. I understand that the boxing is a business and for HBO it represents a very high cost to bring the production team [to Puerto Rico]."

After Luevano, should he win, Juanma would like to target the other big names at the weight. Yuriorkis Gamboa defends his "regular" WBA featherweight title in the co-feature against Rogers Mtagwa. If Juanma and Gamboa win, they could face off in the summer. Juanma plans to start training in the next two weeks. He wants all of the big names, including Israel Vazquez, Rafael Marquez and Gamboa.