By Miguel Rivera, photo by Andre Kang/GFR Media
This past Saturday night in San Juan, Puerto Rico, former world champions collided as Juan Manuel 'Juanma' Lopez (35-5, 32KOs) stopped Wilfredo 'Papito' Vazquez Jr. (24-7-1, 19KOs) in the eleventh round of their long awaited grudge match.
From the moment their contest was signed, the fight fell under a lot of criticism as both boxers have seen much better days. Vazquez Jr. retired after the fight was over, but Juanma believes the victory proved that he still has something left in the tank and he wants to continue fighting.
His two targets - Juanma wants a trilogy fight with Orlando Salido or a fight with former three division champion Abner Mares, who challenges Jesus Cuellar for the WBA featherweight title in December.
Coming into this contest, Juamna had been inactive for over two years and he was knocked out three times in his last four fights. He was basically retired from the sport until the opportunity came up with Vazquez Jr.
But the victory over Vazquez has created a new fire in his belly.
"I proved that I have something left in boxing. I will analyze the fight (with Vazquez) to make a decision. I would like to face Abner Mares or a rematch with Orlando Salido," Juanma said.
Instead of resuming his career, Juanma may be facing a suspension instead.
After the fight was over, a near riot broke out at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente when Juanma and Vazquez's trainer Albert Rivera became involved in a post-fight brawl.
After Juanma knocked out Vazquez, Rivera entered the ring. Lopez approached him for unknown reasons and the trainer cracked him with a left hook to the temple. That sparked a brawl in the ring and both of them had to be restrained and separated by their respective teams. The local fans went into a minor frenzy as bottles and other items were showing the sky.
The local boxing commission in Puerto Rico is planning to investigate the entire incident. There is a high probability that Juanma and Vazquez's trainer will receive suspensions.
