Juanma heading to Vegas

World champion Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico will be at ringside when Yuriorkis Gamboa and Orlando Salido rumble in Top Rank’s ‘Battle of the Champions’ at the Palms Resort Casino on Saturday, Sept. 11. Gamboa and Salido are world featherweight champions. Both will put their titles on the line on Saturday night. Gamboa, the WBA champion has a record of 18-0, 15 KOs. Salido, the IBF champion, is 34-10-2, 22 KOs. Lopez is the WBO featherweight champion. His record is 29-0 with 26 knockouts.

“I’m glad Lopez is coming in,” Gamboa said. “I go to all of his fights. Lopez comes to my fights. He knows where all of this is leading to, me and him in the ring.”

Gamboa was ringside in Puerto Rico last month when Lopez took on Bernabe Concepcion.

Gamboa, who arrived into Las Vegas on Sunday evening, said his training camp in Tampa, Fla. “was perfect” and added “I am at the point now where I am just going to run and train lightly this week. I am on weight and ready to go.”

Gamboa will be at Top Rank’s Media Day on Tuesday, 1 pm at the Top Rank Gym, 3041 Business Lane, Las Vegas, 89103. The Media Day begins with Las Vegas fighter Diego Magdaleno at 11:30 am and unbeaten Russian middleweight Matt Korobov at noon.

There is a new time – 3 pm pacific – for the press conference on Wednesday in the Soprano Room at the Palms Resort Casino.

First bell Saturday is 4 pm in the Pearl Concert Theatre. Tickets are $200, $100, $50 plus applicable fees and are available at the Pearl Box Office and at all Ticketmaster locations.

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Notre Dame champion Mike Lee arrives into Las Vegas on Tuesday, as do Salido, Anthony Peterson and Brandon Rios. Lee has been training with Ronnie Shields in Houston, Texas.

Gamboa vs. Salido and Rios vs. Peterson is promoted by Top Rank in association with Arena Box, Zanfer. The bouts will be televised on HBO After Dark.

September 6th, 2010

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