Unbeaten WBO super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez will defend his title for the first time this Saturday when he face Mexican Cesar Figueroa in the card “The First Step”, presented by PR Best Boxing Promotions at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot in a pay-per-view telecast. Lopez (22-0, 20 KOs), who won the championship in a spectacular performance last June when he KO’d Daniel Ponce de Leon in one, said at the final press conference today that Figueroa “is a good fighter, a puncher, but I’m very well prepared and I think that the bout won’t pass the eighth round.” Meanwhile, the experienced Figueroa (30-6-2, 23 KOs) proclaimed “I know to fight and I have my skills. I’m a veteran fighter that knows how to get these young fighters,” said Lopez.
In two other interesting fights, super flyweight contender Jose “Carita” López (37-7-2, 32 KOs) will defend his WBO Latino 115lb title against Colombian Jonathan Perez (13-4, 10 KOs), and unbeaten Alex “El Pollo” de Jesus will defend his WBO Latino junior welter title against cuban Jose Antonio Izquierdo (17-3, 14 KOs). The card “The First Step” will be shown on “Pay Per View” for all of the cable systems and DirecTV (not Dish Network) a $34.95. Bouts to be seen Lopez vs. Figueroa, Lopez vs. Perez and De Jesus vs. Izquierdo. Tickets availables at TicketPop (www.ticketpop.com), 1 787 294-0001 from $25 to $300.