SALIDO SOLIDIFIED; TKOs JUANMA IN WAR

Mikey Garcia Stops Bernabe Concepcion in Seven



Catch the Replay Tuesday, March 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME®

SAN JUAN, P.R. (March 11, 2012) – Another fight, another war, another stoppage over Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez (31-2, 28 KOs) for Orlando “Siri” Salido (38-11-2, 26 KOs). The latest installment of the storied Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry saw Salido retain his World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight world championship via 10th-round technical knockout in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. In the co-featured event, undefeated Mikey Garcia (28-0, 24 KOs) furthered his path toward a title shot with an impressive seventh-round TKO over Bernabe Concepcion (31-5-1, 17 KOs) from Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.



Although Lopez, of Caguas, Puerto Rico, attempted to alter his game plan, he was unable to alter the outcome. The popular Puerto Rican traded his brawling tendencies for boxing to start the bout but was unable to derail the relentless Salido, of Ciudad Obregon, México,

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The two men traded blows for much of the fight with Salido often causing more damage. In the fifth round, Salido rocked Lopez and looked to capitalize when he walked into a perfectly timed short left hook from Lopez that sent the surprised Mexican to the canvas. The crowd roared and Lopez seemed to regain some of his confidence, but Salido refused to let up.



Round eight proved to be a short-lived candidate for Round of the Year as round nine eclipsed it only minutes later. The fighters stood toe-to-toe for an entire three minutes, exchanging power shots and displaying courage under fire.



In round 10, Salido – swollen but unfazed – stunned the capacity crowd when he devastated Juanma with a succession of power punches to the head. The last in the series of punches floored Lopez. A true warrior, Lopez returned to his feet but referee Roberto Ramirez, Sr. deemed him unable to fight and stopped the contest only 32 seconds into the round.



“This is how I planned this fight,” said Salido. “I knew it was going to be a very tough fight. We both competed punch for punch. I’m just lucky he’s the one that fell.”



“He hit me hard but I could still continue,” said Lopez after the fight. “I was dominating the fight. It was a tough fight but I was winning.”



After nine rounds, Danny Nelson had the fight a draw while Michael Pernick and Cesar Ramos had the fight scored 86-84 for Lopez.



As simply put by Salido, “This was a classic in the long rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters.”



Opening up the SHOWTIME telecast, featherweight Garcia slowly raised the heat on his opponent from simmer to burn. A tentative beginning gave way to a calculated, masterful performance by one of boxing’s up-and-comers. The remarkably grounded Garcia, of Oxnard, Calif., put rounds in the bank early against his Filipino opponent. By round seven, Garcia began to chip away, stunning Concepcion with a stinging right hand and flooring him with a one-two combo. Concepcion made it off the canvas – but not out of the round. At 2:33 in the seventh, referee Luis Pabon stopped the fight after Garcia’s punches began to land cleanly without retaliation.



Continuing to prove that he is a finisher with 24 knockouts in his 28 professional victories, Garcia said after the bout, “I think I showed everybody my skills and I was able to put him out when the time was ready.”



As to what’s next for Garcia, he responded, “I would like to face any of the champions at 126.”



Earlier on SHOWTIME EXTREME®, Jose Gonzalez (19-0, 14 KOs), of Toro Baja, Puerto Rico, scored a technical knockout at 1:12 of round eight over the late replacement Hevinson Herrera (15-9-1, 10 KOs), of Miami, Fla. Following a slow start, Gonzalez sped up his pace and teed off on Herrera in the middle rounds, scoring a knockdown just before the end of round six. In round eight, the referee stopped the lightweight fight schedule for 10 as Gonzalez began to unload on his opponent.



Flyweight McWilliams Arroyo (11-1, 9 KOs), of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Luis Maldonado (38-7-1, 29 KOs), of Baja California, Mexico. Showing his skills on national television, the young Puerto Rican dominated much of the fight against the rugged Mexican and won by the scores of 99-91 two times and 98-92.

SHOWTIME®



The event was promoted by Top Rank, in association with PR Best Boxing Promotion, Zanfer Promotions and the city of San Juan.



Gus Johnson called the action on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING with Al Bernstein and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. Barry Tompkins and Steve Farhood announced the fights on SHOWTIME EXTREME. Jim Gray served as ringside reporter. David Dinkins Jr. is the Executive Producer of SHOWTIME Sports with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

FINAL NEWS CONFERENCE QUOTES; JUANMA LOPEZ and ORLANDO SALIDO; MIKEY GARCIA and BERNABE CONCEPCION

SHOWTIME® CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Doubleheader

Live on Saturday, March 10, at 10 p.m. ET;

Preliminary Bouts to Air Live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 8 p.m. ET





CAROLINA, P.R. (March 7, 2012) – Television camera crews and reporters packed the Verdanza Hotel on Wednesday for the final press conference for Salido-Lopez II – the rematch of one of last year’s most shocking upsets – just three days before World Boxing Organization (WBO) Featherweight World Champion Orlando “Siri” Salido defends his title against the man he dethroned, former world champ Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez, on Saturday, March 10, LIVE on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast), from Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.



Salido (37-11-2, 25 KOs), of México, won the WBO title on April 16 on SHOWTIME when he scored an eighth round TKO over the heavily favored Lopez. Salido successfully defended the title on July 23 in Mexico against Kenichi Yamaguchi via 11th round TKO.



Lopez (31-1, 28 KOs), of Puerto Rico, is eager to avenge the only loss of his career and win back his crown. The exciting and all-action Lopez has knocked out 87 percent of his opponents and is a two-division world champion.



In the co-feature, undefeated No. 1 featherweight contender Mikey Garcia (27-0, 23 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., will face former featherweight title challenger Bernabe Concepcion (31-4-1, 17 KOs), of Metro Manila, Philippines, in a 10-round featherweight bout. Preliminary bouts will be televised LIVE on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 8 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).



Here are what the fighters had to say on Wednesday:



JUANMA LOPEZ:

“This fight is going to be a war. Orlando, you had a good night last year – but I want my title back. I let you wear the belt for 11 months but I’m bringing it back to where it belongs on Saturday.



“I have had a great preparation for this fight and I’m very confident. I never gave excuses about my last fight with Salido. He won. He knocked me out, fine. I don’t make excuses; I fight. If the ref didn’t stop the fight when he did last time, I’d still be fighting.



“Saturday is a great card with a lot of good prospects. Garcia vs. Concepcion is a really good fight and I’m glad that it will be on SHOWTIME, along with mine. Mikey is one of the most intelligent fighters around. He has great ability. And Bernabe is a tough guy. He dropped me in our fight a couple of years ago so I know.”



ORLANDO SALIDO:

"Entering the first fight, I had some doubts but now I have beaten Juanma and I know I can beat him again. I am 1000 percent sure I can win. I’ve been in the gym preparing and I know what to expect. Even though I won last year, I still have something to prove. In the ring, we have a score to settle.



“I don't have much to say, that’s not who I am. It’s the press that said Juanma made excuses. To me, it doesn’t matter either way. My job is the same on Saturday night no matter what.”



MIKEY GARCIA:



“My fight with Concepcion is a tough fight. It’s a dangerous fight and it means everything to me. If I want my title shot, I need to win. There has been talk about me fighting the winner of Lopez and Salido. I want my chance. I hope to fight the winner of Saturday night’s fight for the belt before the end of the year.”



“I’m thankful for the reception I’ve received in Puerto Rico. It’s my first time here and I like it very much. I’m really looking forward to Saturday’s match. I’ve put in a lot of hard work because the fight is so important to me.”



BERNABE CONCEPCION:



“I'm excited for fight night on Saturday against Garcia. I came to Puerto Rico once before (in July 2010 to fight Lopez). Thank you to the promoters and all the fans for having me back but I hope for a different result this time.”



Promoted by Top Rank, in association with PR Best Boxing Promotion, Zanfer Promotions and the city of San Juan, tickets to Lopez-Salido II are priced at $400, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25. Tickets can be purchased at www.tcpr.com or by phone charge by calling Ticket Center at (787) 792-5000.