Showtime Previews: Lopez vs Marquez - Johnson vs Green

Joseph R. Holzer previews Saturday night's Showtime double-header.

Check out our live blog coverage of the show.

It's a single-track railway. Two trains -- one sleek and exciting in its newness, the other steam-powered and reliable -- speed in opposite directions toward one another. The collision is inevitable.

On Saturday, Juan Manuel Lopez faces the toughest challenge of his career when he faces the still-dangerous Rafael Marquez in a 12-round featherweight bout on Showtime Championship Boxing.

It's a fan-friendly fight, with each guy bringing a blend of skill and power to the battle. They combine for a rounded 90 percent knockout average. When was the last time two established boxers of this caliber shared that kind of explosiveness? Corrales-Castillo? Corrales-Freitas? (It had to be a Diego Corrales fight, right?)

Putting the aforementioned statistic into perspective: Going into the first installment of their epic tetralogy (really a trilogy plus a one-sided fight that should've never happened), Marquez and Israel Vazquez tallied a KO rate nearly 10 percent lower.

So what are we supposed to expect?

Well, Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) is a southpaw with a good boxing base and has the body to fight at lightweight. The 27-year-old averages four rounds per fight. He's been past nine rounds three times, two tenth-round stoppages (Hugo Dianzo and Gerry Penalosa) and a unanimous 12-round decision over Rogers Mtagwa. First round knockouts? Dude has one for each finger he can hold up.

He's articulate and charismatic, too. Lopez, if he hasn't already, will overtake Miguel Cotto as Puerto Rico's pugilistic poster child. Felix Trinidad, beware. Whereas Cotto retains a serious demeanor and Tito beams too brightly for any camera in sight, Lopez appears genuine -- an appropriate blend of humility, confidence, sense of humor and brashness. He has star quality. And that's just speaking of his personality.

In recent years, Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) has been overshadowed by his older brother, Juan Manuel. There was a time pre-Pacquiao when the buzz in boxing was Rafa being the better of the stellar siblings. It's surely been proven a myth, but that speaks to Juan Manuel's brilliance as opposed to Rafa's lacking.

Marquez hit paydirt five years ago by capturing a close split decision against southpaw Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, who didn't have Lopez's heavy hands but boxed some ears off in his day. Marquez, whose broad shoulders always make him appear at the higher end of his weight classes, adjusted well to the increase in talent. In a rematch, Johnson retired in six.

This is five years and four fights against Vazquez later, though. Marquez, 35, may be at a disadvantage in every statistical category (height, reach) as well as speed and power. He does have the edge in intangibles, though. He has a superior resume and his heart must weight near the ton range. Though neither Marquez nor Lopez has a glass jaw, Lopez has shown a slightly suspect chin early in bouts, while Marquez has been dropped on occasion.

It may not be the "What if they fought in their primes?" fight some think. The flash of a newcomer. The durability of a veteran. It's a definitive crossroads bout.

On the undercard, Glen Johnson and Allan Green meet in what can be called a replacements match in the "tournament formerly known as" the Super Six. Do points even matter anymore?  With Jermain Taylor, Mikkel Kessler and Andre Dirrell pulling out, it's amazing Showtime hasn't canceled it.  But to their credit, they're not only persevering with the event but have also signed Ring magazine No. 1 ranked super-middleweight Lucian Bute to a multi-fight deal.  We'll now basically see the same result as the drawn out tournament intended, with Showtime eventually crowning the world's best 168lb fighter.

Anyway, Johnson hasn't fought at 168 in a decade. He always gives his all, sometimes in vain. His 50-14-2 belies his actual ability, as some of those losses can be easily disputed. He has 34 knockouts, but they usually come from accumulation since the Road Warrior is in perpetual motion.

Johnson recently lost a close unanimous decision to hard-hitting Tavoris Cloud in August. He's shared the squared circle with future hall of famers, and has possibly earned a spot in Canastota, too. Approaching 42, he's not getting any younger, but he'll never be an easy task.

Green's last bout was a June snoozer against Andre Ward where Green (29-2, 20 KOs) refused to engage and lost every round on every card. Green can pop and has nice speed but, like him, you never know when they will show. He has severe lapses in focus and a shaky chin (journeyman Donny McCrary almost had him out on his feet).

Though Johnson has just joined the tournament and Green hasn't won a single round, the winner will move on to the semi-finals and a meeting with one of the division's elite.  That's plenty of motivation for both fighters, in what should be an interesting undercard attraction.

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