Lopez-Marquez pushed back, but still on

Top Rank sent out a statement indicating that the highly-anticipated featherweight clash between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez will be postponed for some weeks from its original September 18 date, but that the fight is definitely still on. Lopez will not take a different opponent, and Marquez will be back quickly enough to make it work.

The fight is expected to be delayed a month or so, which all things considered isn't too bad of an option. The October month is pretty empty on the U.S. boxing schedule, and Todd duBoef of Top Rank says that the MGM Grand and Showtime are working to find a new date that fits into everyone's schedule. Luckily, that means the fight won't have to find a new venue. Having fighters like Lopez and Marquez headline off-PPV at the MGM Grand is something fairly unique these days, and makes the fight seem as big as it should.

Lopez (29-0, 26 KO) is still looking for something of a "statement win," and he and Top Rank have been criticized some for not matching him tougher since his 2008 knockout of Daniel Ponce de Leon. The best win on his sheet to date is probably Steven Luevano, a good but not great fighter who isn't a star. Marquez (39-5, 35 KO) is of course most famous for his trilogy in 2007-08 with Israel Vazquez, and is coming off of an easy victory over Vazquez in what proved to be a mistake of a fourth fight in May. He's seeking to capture a major title in his third weight class, having dominated at 118 pounds, followed by a stint as the legitimate world champion at 122.