Recently, highly regarded boxing analyst and trainer Teddy Atlas noted that the number of quality punchers in the sport has diminished greatly or completely disappeared.

It's hard to deny, though, that Juan Manuel Lopez is, pound-for-pound, one of the hardest hitters in the game.

He holds an unofficial record for most first-round knockouts in a row in world title fights, having scored consecutive kayos in the first round over Daniel Ponce de Leon, Cesar Figueroa and Sergio Manuel Medina.

The WBO super bantamweight champion, Lopez, 25, has 22 knockouts in his 24 professional fights and has ended 17 of his 24 bouts in three rounds or less.

He'll face his toughest challenge on Saturday, when he defends his title against veteran Gerry Penalosa on an HBO Boxing After Dark card in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

"I don't think all my fights are going to be like my last few fights have been and I know there are going to be some tough fights in there," Lopez said. "But I know this: I hurt guys even with the 16-ounce gloves on in the gym. I know I have the power to do what I need to do in there."

A left-hander, Lopez has a devastating straight left that he delivers with speed and accuracy. He also has a pretty fair right hook, which he's worked to make into a weapon for him.

Boxing, though, isn't all about offense. Lopez knows that one day, there will be someone who stands in front of him and trades. He has to be able to take the big shots that are inevitably going to come in return.

His countryman, Felix Trinidad, became beloved on the island for his ability to pull himself up off the canvas and register a knockout. Lopez believes he has similar capabilities.

"Sooner or later, one of those kinds of fights is going to come around and I know there's a chance I could go down," he said. "I'm not thinking about that, but it's a fact in this sport if you fight that way. If I go down, I just have to get back up and keep fighting, like Tito did."