Showtime will re-broadcast the epic April 2011 fight between Juan Manuel Lopez and Orlando Salido this Friday at 10 p.m. EST on Showtime Extreme. If you didn't see the fight last year, this is a great way to gear up for their rematch on Saturday, which promises to be another action-filled fight.
I would only quibble with the idea that Salido beating Lopez was the "Upset of the Year," but hypers gotta hype, I get it. There were much bigger upsets: Peterson over Khan and Arce over Vazquez to name a notable pair.
From our recap last year:
Salido's right hand was deadly from all angles, as Lopez just could not stop it from landing. Whether it was a chopping right, a long overhand right, sweeping from the side, or straight down the pipe, Salido was landing it. He also made his left hook a weapon as the fight went along.
What also made a difference tonight was that Lopez just couldn't use his own power. His recuperative powers were there. He hung in hurt for a good while. But he couldn't get Salido to back off, couldn't really turn the tide on him. That made all the difference. Salido was not going to be denied.
You can also view the Showtime highlights from last year by clicking here.
I remember going into the fight that night thinking that there was just something in the air. April had already been a great month for boxing, JuanMa had shown vulnerabilities in recent fights, and Salido, coming off of a gritty loss to Yuriorkis Gamboa, just seemed like he might have the right toolbox to take down Lopez. And he did.
This time around, I'm not sure what to think. Salido survived a scare against unheralded Weng Haya in December, and talk is that Lopez has gotten his mind right this time around. But if he still can't avoid a right hand, he's going to have problems again, no matter how focused he is.
This is not a fight to be missed, and we'll have more on Salido vs Lopez II leading up to our round-by-round coverage on Saturday night.