Juan Manuel Lopez / Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

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Michael Nelson takes a look at the next challenge facing Juan Manuel Lopez.

Adding Bernarbe Concepcion to his collection of early round knockout victims, Juan Manuel Lopez properly set the table for his showdown with Rafael Marquez.

Marquez will be a fairly large underdog.

There was some drama in Juanma's 2nd round destruction of Bernarbe when he got caught with a left hook that deposited him on the seat of his pants. But Lopez otherwise overpowered Concepcion and walked through him. His right hook - one of the most dangerous weapons in the sport - landed with frightening accuracy. And while his left hand was often just used as a decoy in previous fights, it's effect was devastating against the overmatched Filipino.

Concepcion, possessing heavy hands and a hard-nosed style, wasn't supposed to be an easy mark. But he dropped his left hand every time he threw his right, leaving him wide open for Lopez' heat-seeking right hook. As it turns out, he was made to order for a man who barely survived against rugged journeyman Rogers Mtwagwa nine months ago.

Lopez has since redeemed himself, and is now viewed as a young beast lurking around the outskirts of pound-for-pound lists. On September 18th, Rafael Marquez will be seen as an ageing Mexican icon walking into a lion's den.

But while the brutal clashes Marquez has had with Israel Vazquez have palpably affected him, he still has a skillset Lopez has never seen before. And the Concepcion left hook that put Lopez down while he was trying to finish off his wounded prey reaffirmed that a potential hall of famer with 35 KOs out of 39 victories likely has the tools to knock him clean out.

Are Rafael's legs, weakened from a career layered with wars, sturdy enough to handle the strong Puerto Rican's onslaught? It's conceivable that he can get blown out the water quicker than Bernarbe did. It's also conceivable that he can evoke memories of a presumably faded Marco Antonio Barerra taking Naseem Hamed to the woodshed.

The table cloth has been set. The dishes and silverware have been arranged. In a little over two months, we find out if Rafael Marquez cements his place among Mexican greats or if young Lopez continues his rise into pound-for-pound lore.

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