Tonight, former WBO featherweight champion and undefeated Mikey Garcia 31-0 with 26 KO’s was scheduled to defend his WBO title against former two-division champion Juan Manuel Lopez 33-2 with 30 KO’s in a scheduled 12 round bout.
Garcia vs Lopez Time: 10:45pm ET, 3:45am UK, 10:45am (Sunday) Manila
Broadcast: HBO Boxing After Dark Location: Dallas, TX, USA Venue: American Airlines Arena
Title: Vacant WBO Featherweight
Before Friday’s weigh-in, Mikey Garcia was the reigning WBO featherweight champion. But at the weigh-in, Garcia weighed in at 128 pounds, 2 pounds over the featherweight limit of 126 pounds. As a result, the WBO title becomes vacant. Mikey can’t regain the title even if he beats JuanMa, but if Lopez wins he will be awarded the WBO title.
Incidentally, JuanMa weighed in at 125 ? pounds for the fight.
When Garcia weighed in heavy, he was given the opportunity to loss the 2 extra pounds but decided he was not going to try to loss the weight. Therefore, Garcia not only lost the WBO title but he also forfeited a substantial amount of his share of the purse.
Garcia won the featherweight title last January by scoring an eighth round technical decision win over Orlando Salido, the conqueror of JuanMa Lopez.
Garcia dropped Salido twice in the first round, and once each in rounds 3 and 4. And after what was called an accidental head butt in the eighth round, a halt was called to the bout and the fight went to the judge’s scorecards. Julie Lederman and John Stewart both had the fight scored 79-69 and Don Ackerman had it scored 79-70 all for the winner by TD Mikey Garcia.
Garcia has been on a steady upward climb through the ranks since turning pro in 2006. The quality of his opposition for each fight he’s fought and won has gotten better over his career. However, some critics still insist he hasn’t been truly tested at this point in his career.
JuanMa Lopez Southpaw Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez is a hard-hitting marquee fighter who generates a lot of excitement when he’s in the ring. Juanma was on a steady climb up the ranks until he suffered an eighth round stoppage in a featherweight title fight with Orlando Salido in April of 2011. Eleven months later, Juanma lost another title fight to Salido; this time it was via 10th round TKO.
JuanMa Lopez, right, lands a right jab to the head of Rafael Marquez in November 2011. JuanMa won via an 8th Round TKO Courtesy Chris Farina, Top Rank This fight against Mikey Garcia Saturday night will be JuanMa’s third fight this year and an attempt to reestablish himself in the featherweight ranks.
The two fights Juanma fought and won earlier this year were against mediocre opposition, so tonight’s fight will do a lot in establishing credibility for JuanMa.
Top Rank President Todd duBoef said Garcia has proven he’s a world champion with his two wins over Salido, but now he needs to prove he is able to retain a world champion title. In a press conference at American Airlines Arena in Dallas last week, duBoef said:
“Mikey proved in his last fight that he is a world champion, now he has to prove he can remain a world champion when he faces one of the toughest men in the division in two-time world champion JuanMa. This caps off an incredible run for boxing during the first half of 2013.”
Mikey Garcia Garcia is trained by his brother, former super featherweight champion Robert Garcia, and their father Eduardo Garcia. Mikey describes his style of fighting as a traditional Mexican “Brawler” or close quarters style of fighting. He uses his jab as well as anybody in the sport to set up his right handed attack.
Mikey Garcia, center, with his trainers – His father Eduardo (left) and Robert Courtesy of Chris Farina, Top Rank
In his fight with Orlando Salido, Garcia used his left jab to set up punishing right uppercuts. In the first round, Mikey twice dropped Salido with a beautifully landed right cross set up by a left jab. Garcia also employs what he describes as “Mayweather-like” defensive skills. So skillful in fact, through eight rounds of boxing, Salido wasn’t able to land anything substantial. Lopez likes to get in a slugfest and rely on his power but makes himself vulnerable by exposing himself in those encounters; he’s a southpaw with a quick sneaky left hand. He has fast hands but boxes flatfooted and doesn’t usually use the ring to his advantage as much as he could.
And despite his known grit, Lopez also has a questionable chin.
Garcia vs JuanMa Lopez Odds At the time of this writing, Miguel Angel “Mikey’ Garcia is an overwhelming favorite to win at -950, meaning you’d have to wager $950 to win $100 on Garcia. Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez is the underdog at +650. For every $100 you wager on Juanma you’d win $650.
Garcia vs JuanMa Prediction I’m picking Mikey Garcia to win this fight. I think Mikey will stop Juanma before this fight makes it to the championship rounds. His accuracy, hand speed and the punishing uppercuts of Mikey Garcia will be more than JuanMa can handle.
