Hometown crowds and upsets are always a volatile mix to put together, especially when the hometown boy get upsetted. Add a bit of alcohol, machismo and a beloved figure like Juan Ma Lopez and you are sure to get close to a near riot. It almost happened on April 16th as Orlando Salido scored a major upset over then WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez. Salido has been sneaking in overhand rights and power shots and by the 5th round a knock down on the part of Salido changed the course of the fight. With Lopez playing the role of walking flubber in the 8th and his legs almost giving out on him Salido applied more pressure and may have stopped the fight a bit prematurely though the end was inevitable for Lopez.
The Puerto Rican home crowd erupted in anger as during the live telecast, Showtime analyst Al Bernstein and others were hit with projectiles flying from the enraged crowd. It nearly turned into a riot as fans booed the outcome of the fight. It gave me flashbacks of when Hulk Hogan tuned heel and joined the NWO with the amount of things being thrown in during the ring. Boxing analyst Al Bernstein recalls that night with us and lets us know his thoughts on what would eventually happened minus the pre-mature stoppage.
