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PHILIPPINES? TOP FIGHTERS AWAIT WINNER OF DELEON-LOPEZ! By Jason Aniel PhilBoxing.com Thu, 05 Jun 2008  San Francisco, Ca ? Three interested fighters will be glued to their television sets this Saturday, June 7 (Sunday June 8 in the Philippines), when Daniel Ponce De Leon takes on rising superstar, Juan Manuel Lopez, on the undercard of the Kelly Pavlik vs. Gary Lockett. Gerry Penalosa, Rey Bautista, and Bernabe Concepcion all have stakes in the outcome of this WBO Jr. Featherweight clash. Golden Boy Promotion?s De Leon, 34-1 (30KOs), makes the seventh defense of his title against Top Rank?s top prospect and future star, Lopez, 21-0 (19 KOs). Most boxing experts consider this bout an even bout where either fighter can come out on top by decision or knockout. Filipino fans best remember De Leon for his one round destruction over the then undefeated Rey Bautista and his controversial decision win over Gerry Penalosa. If Manny Pacquiao is Mexico?s ?Republica Enemy #1?, then Ponce De Leon is the Philippines? version ?Republica Enemy #1?. Both Penalosa and Bautista have publically demanded from rematches. Juan Manuel Lopez has been on the fast track to the world title since his debut just three and half years ago. Lopez makes a huge jump in class of opposition when he takes on the experienced and unorthodox De Leon. Lopez was scheduled to face Bernabe Concepcion earlier in the year but when talks of a title shot with De Leon heated up, the bout was scratched. Concepcion is managed by Manny Pacquiao and promoted by Top Rank, who has a keen interest in having Lopez face Concepcion in the future. De Leon has had his most explosive knockout when faced with a fellow puncher, who was willing to trade power shots with Mexican. De Leon not only hits with rocks but the punches come from awkward angles. De Leon is also physically a strong fighter and despite his lack of defense, has shown to take a decent punch. De Leon has also been better tested against tougher opponents. Should De Leon win, a rematch with Penalosa seems to inevitable. Since losing to De Leon, Penalosa won his second world title in as many weight classes, knocking out Jhonny Gonzales with a body punch. That same night, Ponce De Leon knocked out Rey Bautista in the first round. Both are under the same promotional company, Golden Boy Promotions, and both want the rematch. Although Bautista would like to have another crack at De Leon, it?s clear that he still needs to improve before taking on the elite fighters at 122lbs. However, De Leon is fighting under a Top Rank promotion against one of its top fighters in Lopez. The bout is also taking place during Puerto Rican National Pride Weekend. Lopez may end up having the ?home crowd advantage? come fight night. Lopez has also shown to have the edge in speed and overall boxing ability. In an evenly matched bout, the pro-Lopez crowd could sway close rounds in favor of the Puerto Rican. Should Lopez win the bout, a fight with Bernabe Concepcion could be on the horizon. Concepcion is in a similar boat as Bautista because he is still a young fighter and has not reached his fighting potential yet. The same could be said about Lopez, who is only 24 years old and 21 fights into his career. Often times in boxing the young prospect walks into a title bout and wins. Manny Pacquiao won the flyweight title when he was just 19. In 2006, Jermain Taylor won the middleweight championship against Bernard Hopkins, who had just two fewer title defenses than Taylor had professional fights. Therefore, while Lopez has a strong shot in capturing the WBO title this Saturday, a future fight with the likes of Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez is not likely. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Jason Aniel.  |
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