Juanma Talks Rafael Marquez, John, Gamboa, Caballero

By Ryan Burton

 

WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez speaks to BoxingScene.com about his upcoming fight against Rafael Marquez.  Juanma talks about what it means to him to be headlining a fight for the first time in Las Vegas on the weekend that will be celebrating Mexico's bicentennial.  The Puerto Rican star also talks about his recent win over Bernabe Concepcion and who he would like to fight in the future in this exclusive interview.

 

BoxingScene.com:  Firtst off give us your thoughts on your last fight when you blew out Bernabe Concepcion in two rounds.

 

Juan Manuel Lopez:  It was easier than I thought.  I thought it would have gone longer and been tougher.  The truth is I really was surprised at how easy it was.  I was very surprised.

 

BoxingScene.com:  You hit him just after the opening bell and sent him staggering into the ropes.  At that point it seemed like you were going to have a short night.  At that moment did you feel the same way?

 

Juan Manuel Lopez: When I hit him with the first left hand yes I did feel that way.  I was like wow he is about to fall.  Before that I thought it was going to be a tougher night.  When he almost fell from that left hook I knew it was just a matter of time.  I knew if I kept applying the pressure that I would get to him.  I was very happy that it worked out that way, thanks to God.  I really was surprised at how fast it all happened.

 

BoxingScene.com:  When you were trying to finish him off at the end of the first round he caught you with a clean shot that knocked you down.  You didn't appear to be hurt but what happened?

 

Juan Manuel Lopez:  (laughing) I just got a little careless at that time and he caught me good and I was like wow (laughing again) and I was like okay I need to focus more.  I was looking around and I was like okay he got me but I wasn't hurt or even dizzy or anything like that.  I was like he got me good and knocked me down.  The bell is about to ring so I just have to shake it off and go back in there. The bell rang and I calmed down after that shot and said to myself that I need to be a little more cautious and take care of myself.

 

BoxingScene.com:  Was it because the round was about to end and you figured you could exchange with him knowing the bell was less than 10 seconds away?

 

Juan Manuel Lopez:  Yes because he was on the ropes and I knew that the round was going to end.  I opened up and was trying to take him out and that is when he hit me with that left hook.  He was at the point of going down himself and he just got me.

 

BoxingScene.com:  In previous interviews that we have done we have spoken about how a lot of fans want to see you fight Celestino Caballero and Yuriorkis Gamboa.  What was the thought process of deciding to fight Rafael Marquez?

 

Juan Manuel Lopez:  I decided on this fight because it is a more interesting fight.  It is a better fight really.  I know a lot of people want to see me fight Caballero and Gamboa but this is the fight that is going to take my career to the next level.  It is the biggest fight of my career.  It is very important.  This is a fight with a great fighter that has a lot of experience.  We know that he has won big fights and I need to beat someone like Rafael Marquez to take my career to the next level.  A fight between Rafael Marquez and Juanma Lopez decides who is the best fighter in the division.  I am focused on winning this fight.  When this fight is over then we can sit down and look at fighting Caballero or Gamboa.

 

BoxingScene.com: This is another big fight between a great Mexican champion and a great Puerto Rican champion.  How does it feel to be taking part in this storied rivalry on the weekend of Mexico's bicentennial?

 

Juan Manuel Lopez:  It is something that I always dreamed about.  I always wanted to be in the main event in a big fight like this.  I am very excited about it and I am so happy that it is happening.

 

BoxingScene.com:  Aside from fighting on such a big fight weekend you are headlining a fight at the MGM in Las Vegas.  Give us your thoughts on that.

 

Juan Manuel Lopez:  It is another dream of mine.  I always dreamt of fighting in the main event in Las Vegas and now it is coming true.  I plan on training hard and I am going to go in to the fight and use my intelligence so I can get the victory and really enjoy the whole experience.

 

BoxingScene.com:  If you get the win like you plan who do you want to fight next?

 

Juan Manuel Lopez:  After that we will sit down and talk about our future plans.  I would really like a fight with Chris John.  He has been a great champion for a long time.  We will look at Chris John, Celestino Caballero and Yuri Gamboa.  We want to see who the public wants and then we have to sit down and decide what makes the most sense.  There are a lot of good fights out there and we need to see which one is the best at that time.

 

BoxingScene.com:  You are right, there are a lot of good fighters in your division.  How long do you want to stay at 126 pounds before you move up to 130 pounds?

 

Juan Manuel Lopez:  It depends.  I want to see how I feel after each fight.  We will see after this fight then if I fight Chris John we will see how comfortable I am at this weight again.  Then we fight maybe Yuri Gamboa and then Celestino Caballero.  If we can beat all those guys and clean out the division then it will be time to move up.  I want to stay at this weight as long as I can make it comfortably and there are still good fights here for me.  You never know some of these guys might move up before I can fight them at 126 and other good fighters from 122 may move up to 126.  After this fight we can look at the future.

 

BoxingScene.com:  How high up in weight do you feel you can go before you retire?  Do you think you can go up to 135 or 140 even?

 

Juan Manuel Lopez:  140 might be a little high.  We have to see.  I want to go in order.  I went from 122 to 126 and then we will see at 130 how I feel.  I think I might be able to go to 140 but I have to see how my body feels as I move up in weight.  135 is a dream of mine.  If I can get there I can get to where no Boricua has gotten (4 division world champion) before and that is important to me.  After that we will see how I feel at that weight and if I feel I can gain more weight.  135 is what is really important to me.

 

BoxingScene.com:  Do you have a message for the fans?

 

Juan Manuel Lopez:  Thank you for the support.  I really need all the support for this fight.  This fight is very important for my career and will be a war.  It is a great battle between Puerto Rico and Mexico.  I promise that it will be a great show.  Please come out and watch it at the MGM and if you can't make it then watch it on Showtime.