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Lopez to fight Mtagwa on Oct. 10Comment Email Print Share Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Unbeaten junior featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez has signed a contract extension with promoter Top Rank, and will defend his title against veteran Rogers Mtagwa this fall.
Top Rank president Todd duBoef announced the deal Wednesday, putting Lopez (26-0, 24 KOs) in the main event of the "Latin Fury" card Oct. 10 at Madison Square Garden. He'll be headlining in the theater of the arena where countryman Miguel Cotto built his reputation.
"There is a great lineage of Puerto Rico superstars -- Wilfredo Gomez, Tito Trinidad and Miguel Cotto," duBoef said. "It' a pleasure that Juanma and Top Rank will work together to get him to become one of the greatest of all-time on the island."
Lopez certainly is off to a fast start.
He drilled Daniel Ponce de Leon in the first round to capture the WBO title at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall in June 2008, and hasn't come close to losing it even against some stiff opposition. Following first-round knockouts of Cesar Figueroa and Sergio Manuel Medina, Lopez forced bantamweight champ Gerry Penalosa to quit before the 10th round.
Then in June, Lopez defended his belt again in a ninth-round stoppage of Olivier Lontchi at Boardwalk Hall, making him 5-0 with five knockouts in title bouts.
"Juanma has had a meteoric rise in his first five years," duBoef said. "We believe Juanma's future is very bright."
Mtagwa (26-12, 18 KOs) is considered a steppingstone fight for Lopez, with the idea to pit him against WBA featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa next year.
Gamboa (15-0, 13 KOs), considered one of the top prospects to come out of Cuba, fights Whyber Garcia (22-6, 15 KOs) on the same card at Madison Square Garden.
Also scheduled to fight are up-and-coming heavyweights Odlanier Solis and Kevin Johnson, and unbeaten junior middleweight Vanes Martiroysan.
I GUESS HE REALLY IS GOING THROUGH WITH THIS FIGHT.WTF!!!!!MTAGWA IS A WARRIOR BUT WHO THE *** WANTS TO SEE HIM TAKE A BEATING
NEW YORK -- Unbeaten junior featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez has signed a contract extension with promoter Top Rank, and will defend his title against veteran Rogers Mtagwa this fall.
Top Rank president Todd duBoef announced the deal Wednesday, putting Lopez (26-0, 24 KOs) in the main event of the "Latin Fury" card Oct. 10 at Madison Square Garden. He'll be headlining in the theater of the arena where countryman Miguel Cotto built his reputation.
"There is a great lineage of Puerto Rico superstars -- Wilfredo Gomez, Tito Trinidad and Miguel Cotto," duBoef said. "It' a pleasure that Juanma and Top Rank will work together to get him to become one of the greatest of all-time on the island."
Lopez certainly is off to a fast start.
He drilled Daniel Ponce de Leon in the first round to capture the WBO title at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall in June 2008, and hasn't come close to losing it even against some stiff opposition. Following first-round knockouts of Cesar Figueroa and Sergio Manuel Medina, Lopez forced bantamweight champ Gerry Penalosa to quit before the 10th round.
Then in June, Lopez defended his belt again in a ninth-round stoppage of Olivier Lontchi at Boardwalk Hall, making him 5-0 with five knockouts in title bouts.
"Juanma has had a meteoric rise in his first five years," duBoef said. "We believe Juanma's future is very bright."
Mtagwa (26-12, 18 KOs) is considered a steppingstone fight for Lopez, with the idea to pit him against WBA featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa next year.
Gamboa (15-0, 13 KOs), considered one of the top prospects to come out of Cuba, fights Whyber Garcia (22-6, 15 KOs) on the same card at Madison Square Garden.
Also scheduled to fight are up-and-coming heavyweights Odlanier Solis and Kevin Johnson, and unbeaten junior middleweight Vanes Martiroysan.
I GUESS HE REALLY IS GOING THROUGH WITH THIS FIGHT.WTF!!!!!MTAGWA IS A WARRIOR BUT WHO THE *** WANTS TO SEE HIM TAKE A BEATING
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