5 of the most memorable fights in Showtime Boxing championship history
2. Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Orlando Salido 2 - March 10, 2012
The rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico has always supplied boxing with notable and often historic fights. There were times during Showtime’s tenure with boxing when they didn’t often have the most well-known names fighting on their network.
That didn’t prevent them from producing outstanding clashes. Many of them are underrated and not as celebrated as others.
In the early 2010s, Juan Manuel Lopez was viewed as the next potential star out of Puerto Rico. He was likened to a super-bantamweight version of Felix Trinidad.
He had the same charisma and power in both hands as the legendary Trinidad. However, what he lacked was the conditioning and technique of his idol.
After making five defenses of his WBO super bantamweight title, Lopez moved up to the featherweight division, where he would win another championship. Although he held some solid victories over Rafael Marquez, Daniel Ponce de Leon, and Steven Luevano, Lopez was fortunate to have fought some fighters past their prime.
Lopez’s luck would run out when he ran into veteran Orlando Salido in April 2011. Salido wasn’t a protected fighter and had been in the ring with high-level fighters like Juan Manuel Marquez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Robert Guerrero.
Undeterred by Lopez’s reputation or power, Salido would travel to Puerto Rico and stop him in eight rounds. The first match was supposed to be another title defense to keep Lopez busy, but Salido had other plans.
Less than a year later, in March 2012, Salido and Lopez met again in Puerto Rico. The rematch would eclipse their first fight tenfold due to the combatants and the boisterous crowd that hung on to every punch.
Salido’s unorthodox ability to throw wide hook combinations in the mid-range kept him in the lead. Lopez was always in the fight with his power, and in the fifth round, a short right hook sent Salido to the canvas.
The toe-to-toe action would only increase every round, with the ninth stanza being a highlight. Each blow exchanged by the two took more out of Lopez than Salido.
The end came at the beginning of the 10th with a vicious and beautiful three-punch combination from Salido that was punctuated with an uppercut. Lopez would get back up on wobbly legs, unable to keep his balance. The referee would stop the fight almost immediately.
The second match between Salido and Lopez exemplified the best of boxing on Showtime. It gave a stage to two fighters who might not have been provided that chance before in front of a crowd that elevated the entire experience.