Mikey Garcia Gets Tough First WBO Defense Against Juan Manuel Lopez

WBO featherweight champ Mikey Garcia is in action tomorrow night as he places his belt at risk for the first time when he meets heavy-handed southpaw Juan Manuel Lopez at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.

Fresh off his manhandling of hard as nails Mexican pressure artist Orlando Salido to capture the WBO title in January, Garcia, 31-0 (26), now faces a completely different threat in the form of Lopez, 33-2 (30).

Lopez wore the WBO super bantam crown for five defenses before stepping up to annex the WBO feather strap in 2010, losing it to Salido after two defenses and then failing to get it back in a 2012 rematch.

Now the 29 year old Puerto Rican will see if he can build upon his two bout win streak and take back his old title. This will be no easy matter as Garcia could be the best fighter that Lopez has ever faced in the ring.

In terms of world title bout experience, Lopez has a massive edge over Garcia but the challenger’s advantages stop there as the champion was able to convert years of sparring some of the best boxers on the planet to good use in his first world title opportunity, dropping the durable Salido four times.

The high KO percentage of both men indicate they can punch with authority but the deciding factor here could turn out to be who can take the punches better once the flush shots start to land.

The records indicate that will be Garcia as both of Lopez’s losses came within the distance, but in this sport, past accomplishments or setbacks mean nothing once the bell rings.

The undercard features a few good up and coming fighters, led by light middle contender Vanes Martirosyan, 32-0-1 (20), who meets Ryan Davis, 29-10-3 (9), over 10 rounds.

Martirosyan is coming off a good performance last November in which he held Erislandy Lara to a draw in a WBC title eliminator. Davis has lost two of his last three inside the distance and will face an uphill battle in this bout.

Undefeated lightweight Terrance Crawford, 20-0 (15), gets a step up fight when he meets veteran Mexican campaigner Alejandro Sanabria, 34-1-1 (25), over ten rounds.