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One of the most anticipated boxing matches of the year will take place on Nov. 6 when unbeaten Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 Kos) will try to defend his WBO Featherweight title against Rafael Marquez (39-5, 35 Kos) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

This bout features two boxers with a lot of power in their fists and boxing fans could be in for a treat if the matchup in the ring is as good as it is on paper. Foe the 27-year-old Lopez of Puerto Rico, it will be his second defense of the title he won in January by stopping Steve Luevano in the seventh round. Before winning the featherweight crown, he was the WBO Super Bantamweight champ and defended that title five times after winning it in dramatic style in 2008 with a first-round KO over  Daniel Ponce de Leon.

The 35-year-old Marquez hails from Mexico City and has been involved in quite a few slugfests in his career, most noticeably in his four-fight extravaganza against Israel Vazquez. Marquez won two bouts against Vazquez by stoppages and was beaten on a TKO and lost one by a split decision. He’s a former WBC and IBF Bantamweight champion.

A younger Marquez would probably be the favourite in this fight, but his age and the fact he’s been involved in some brutal fights will go against him here as it’s unclear what he’ll have left in the tank. He definitely has the experience and has faced better opponents in his career than Lopez has, but he also had to postpone this fight from Sept. 18 as he suffered a thumb injury.

If Lopez manages to win, it’ll be the greatest achievement in his career up to now. This fight is a classic example of a boxer in the twilight of his career taking on a young, up-and-coming star. Lopez looked a little wobbly in his win over Rogers Mtagwa last October and that should give Marquez a bit of added confidence.

Juan Manuel Lopez vs Rafael Marquez Betting Odds and Prediction

Both fighters have excellent speed, accuracy, power, heart, and recuperative powers. Lopez is a bit better defensively though. This fight is one of the year’s best matchups and it could go either way really. The younger Lopez will be favored, but Marquez has the power to drop him, and realistically that may be his only chance here because it’s going to be hard to win it on points. If he has one more good fight left in him, look for Marquez to stop Lopez and take the title.

Bodog.com has the odds of a Lopez win at 2/9 while a Marquez win is at 3/1.