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Buy or Sell: Juan Manuel Lopez v. Orlando Salido on April 16

Juan Manuel Lopez will face Orlando Salido on April 16 in Puerto Rico, with Showtime televising.
Juan Manuel Lopez will face Orlando Salido on April 16 in Puerto Rico, with Showtime televising.
Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reports today that Juan Manuel Lopez's scheduled April 16 fight is finally set with an opponent, as Lopez will put his undefeated record and 126-pound alphabet soup strap on the line against former titlist Orlando Salido.

This delays, again, the 126-pound clash between Top Rank's Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa, which has been on the minds of boxing fans for over a year now. Gamboa (19-0, 15 KO) will be on HBO on March 26, facing Jorge Solis (40-2-2, 29 KO), who will be stepping back down from 130 pounds to take on the talented Cuban.

Lopez (30-0, 27 KO) and Salido (34-11-2, 22 KO) will meet in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, with Showtime televising the bout. Salido's last fight was a September loss to Gamboa on HBO in a fight that disappointed many in terms of action, but saw Salido prove his sturdiness and determination. He's definitely a fighter better than his record looks on paper, but do you see this as Top Rank giving Lopez a softer touch than you'd prefer? Is the fight a good one to you because Salido is a credible challenger, even if not a first choice?

In other words, buy or sell this one? And bonus question! Which is the better fight: Lopez-Salido or Gamboa-Solis?

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