After waxing Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, in the eleventh round, Juan Manual Lopez promptly ran across the ring and squared off with Junior?s coach, Albert Rivera. Shockingly, Juanma was met by a nifty 3-punch combo and kept at bay by a skilled Rivera. Both were fined until further notice and the results of an investigation.
This was not the first time Lopez has been fined and suspended over an incident which took place immediately after a fight. In 2012, He was suspended by Puerto Rico boxing authorities after he accused referee Roberto Ramirez of betting on one of his fights. “In the first fight, his son stopped it,” Lopez told Showtime’s Jim Gray. “Now the father stopped it. The referee stopped the fight because he has gambling problems. I told the (Puerto Rican Boxing) Commission the referee was a gambler.?
Later he said, “Maybe, in my frustration for failing my country, I said things that right now I don’t remember. And I want to delete. And again, I want to thank Roberto for his work.”
In its letter to Lopez, the WBO said, “The WBO World Championship Committee considers that the behavior and statements made by you during the interview held after your WBO Featherweight title against Champion Orlando Salido, were totally lacking sportsmanship.”The sense of the Championship Committee is that your conduct in making those comments warrants a one year suspension for your severe unsportsmanlike behavior.
?Juanma got a year for saying something stupid 5 minutes after being concussed, for which he has apologized multiple times? Terrible decision? said Dan Rafael who seemed to have had a melt down over the situation: See: http://planbprevails.com/espn-writer-suffers-twitter-meltdown-after-boxer-gets-suspended/
After the suspension was lifted early, Lopez continued to fight and continued to get KOd. Now, after this rejuvenating win, he may have again spoiled things with his propensity for strange ring behavior. If he got a year for talking, what can he expect for fighting, even if he lost the fight to a cornerman?
