Rafael Marquez vows to knock out Juan Manuel Lopez
Rafael Marquez was short and sweet when he spoke about his weekend fight with Juan Manuel Lopez to
maxboxing.com recently.
He simply said, "I’m going to knock him out."
Marquez and Lopez will touch gloves Friday night, 5 November, for the WBO featherweight title. The bout will be broadcast live on HBO from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) will be looking to showcase his formidable talent and supplant Marquez, a true veteran of the game. A win for Lopez would likely take him from his current
Ring Magazine No.2 position to No.1.
Marquez, on the other hand, hopes to prove he is still a vital competitor and that he hasn’t been tarnished by a slew of boxing wars in the past, most notably against Israel Vazquez.
The fight is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated featherweight bouts of the year, and will add another chapter to the classic boxing rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Though more experienced, Marquez said, "I don’t think you can depend on experience to carry you through everything. Obviously, I’ve been through some tough fights. It has given me experience, but I really don’t put any stock in that. I don’t think that’s
an advantage. My stock is in my great condition and the things that I do in the ring. If you don’t have the conditioning to do it, what’s the use in having a plan? It’s important to be conditioned to apply the plan."
In his last fight, Lopez was able to stop contender Bernabe Concepcion in two rounds, despite the fact that he was floored in the first round of the bout. Lopez boasts incredible speed and power that has given him an early night in all but three of his professional
outings.
But when asked what he thinks will really when the fight, Marquez contended it wasn’t power, but ringmanship and intelligence. "You just have to be smart. You have to be intelligent. Not let him hit you flush. He’s a real strong guy so you don’t want to
get hit flush by this guy."
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