Moments ago on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez comfortably made weight in advance of his title defense this Saturday night against former IBF champion Orlando Salido, who himself made the limit at 126 pounds. While a clear favorite heading into their clash tomorrow night at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, Lopez should be expected to put is some workmanlike rounds against his rugged Mexican foe.
Just last September we saw how awkward of an opponent Salido can be as he found a way to last the full twelve rounds against WBA champion Yuriorkis Gamboa inside of the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, even managing to drop his Cuban counterpart late in the fight. While his 34-11-2 record speaks of that of a journeyman, Salido looks to be in great shape and should be able to stick around for a while.
<--- Slideshow: Lopez and Salido make weight in Puerto Rico
Of course the fight everyone wants to see is Lopez-Gamboa but it remains to be seen just how close that contest is to becoming a reality. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has hinted that it could be heading to Las Vegas next summer but has also mentioned he might have to wait until 2013 if the money isn’t right.
Gamboa is coming off of an electrifying knockout over Jorge Solis last month and be present at Lopez’s fight tomorrow night, as is often the custom between the two champions.
