A press conference tomorrow in San Juan will be held to really get things going, but it's now official: Orlando Salido and Juan Manuel Lopez will meet in a highly-anticipated rematch for Salido's WBO featherweight title, which he lifted last April from Lopez in a dramatic slugfest in Bayamon.
Salido (37-11-2, 25 KO) has made two successful defenses of the title since defeating Lopez, stopping Kenichi Yamaguchi in July and rallying to halt Weng Haya in December after a very rocky start to that fight, which saw Salido down in the third and fourth rounds.
But while those fights weren't against world class opposition and still provided a scare, the fact is that Salido has fought 19 rounds since facing Lopez last April. On the other hand, Lopez (31-1, 28 KO) has fought just once since the loss to Salido, an easy two-round win over a totally overmatched Mike Oliver on October 1. That inactivity could be a major factor in the fight, and unless Lopez has improved his defense drastically, Salido is still tremendously dangerous to someone with his style, and the fight is once again a very good one on paper, and should provide fireworks.
The rematch will once again be held in Puerto Rico, this time in San Juan.