Lopez – Marquez rescheduled for November 6 in Las Vegas

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that the September 18th fight between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez that was postponed due to a hand injury to Marquez will now take place on November 6 at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“It’s done, we’re good,” said Gary Shaw, who promotes Marquez. “I talked to the Marquez camp and [Lopez promoter] Top Rank was fine with it. I spoke to [Top Rank president] Todd duBoef about it to get it done.”

“Fortunately, my thumb injury did not prevent me from continuing my conditioning, including running daily,” said Marquez, who proved his durability in an epic four fight series with Israel Vazquez. “I am extremely grateful that my fight with Juan Manuel Lopez was rescheduled so quickly. On November 6, JuanMa and I have a date with destiny. I can’t wait.”

The southpaw Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) is 27-years-old and has been fighting professionally for five years. He is a consensus top-10 pound-for-pound fighter and is widely considered a rising star. A win over Marquez would easily be the most significant of his young career. Conversely, Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) at 35-years-old is well into the second half of a remarkable career. He has fought in 11 world title fights in his 15 years as a pro and he is a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame. A win over Lopez would give him a world title in his third weight division.

“This has become the most important fight of my career,” Marquez said.

“I’m looking forward to showing my skills against a great champion like Rafael Marquez, one of the all-time greats and a future Hall of Famer,’’ Lopez said. “It will be the biggest fight of my career.”

“So far we have just one TV fight, but I’m trying to get [Showtime’s] Kenny [Hershman] to buy another one,” Shaw said. “I have an idea for a very good fight. The question is if Kenny has the money in the budget.”

Shaw said he’d like to match junior middleweight titlist Sergei Dzinziruk, who he co-promotes with Artie Pelullo, against Vanes Martirosyan, who is promoted by Top Rank.

“Ken was not opposed to the fight. It’s a question of money,” Shaw said. “I know Top Rank is fine with making that fight.”