Showtime Doubleheader Stars Arrive in Vegas to Fan Treatment:
Puerto Rican superstar and WBO featherweight world champ Juan Manuel Lopez and Mexican legend and future Hall of Famer Rafael Marquez received a warm welcome from fans and media as they arrived at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Lopez and Marquez will meet in a Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry match on Saturday, Nov. 6, LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Check out a photo gallery of their arrivals, as well as Allan Green and Glen Johnson.
Saturday’s co-feature fighters, world-ranked contender Allan Green and former world champ Glen Johnson, also answered questions from the media during Wednesday’s arrival. Green, of Tulsa, Okla., and Johnson, of Miami, Fla., will meet in a must-win Super Six World Boxing Classic bout. The winner of the 12-rounder will earn a coveted spot in the tournament Semi-Finals.
Photo Gallery
The undefeated Lopez met fans and signed autographs at a meet and greet at Television City, located inside the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Studio Walk. Pictured is Lopez laughing after altering a Marquez photograph to resemble a devilish looking figure.
Marquez, who became a legend with his four-fight series with Israel Vazquez on SHOWTIME, received a welcome fit for a boxing legend at the MGM Grand. The 35-year-old Marquez is coming off a third-round knockout of Vazquez in only his second fight at featherweight (126). He’ll take on Lopez at 126 pounds in a quest for a world title in his third division.
The 27-year-old Lopez, pictured with a swarm of photographers and media, has registered an astounding 26 knockouts in 29 professional fights. Lopez will face the toughest and most important test of his career in Marquez. Lopez has said that facing a legend like Marquez will be a defining moment of his career.
Johnson, who has appeared in seven world title fights and has defeated some of the best prizefighters of this era, including boxing legends Roy Jones, Jr., and Antonio Tarver, now has an opportunity to reestablish himself as one of the world’s elite prizefighters. Green, who is coming off a loss in his last fight, knows he has a lot to prove this weekend in Las Vegas.
