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Josh Taylor will defend his 140-pound title against Teofimo Lopez in a very important bout for both boxers Saturday in New York City.
JOSH TAYLOR (19-0, 13 KOs) VS. TEOFIMO LOPEZ (18-1, 13 KOs)
- Day: Saturday, June 10
- Time: 10pm ET / 7pm Pacific Time (main event follows)
- Where: Madison Square Garden, New York
- television/stream: GAME, GAME +
- Assignment: Junior weight class (140 pounds)
- threatened: Taylor’s WBO title
- the odds: Taylor 1½-1 favorite (multi-store average)
- Also on the card: Xander Zayas vs. Ronald Cruz, junior middleweight; Robson Conceicao vs Nicolas Polanco, lightweight; Henry Lebron versus Carlos Ramos, junior lightweight; Jamaine Ortiz vs. Humberto Galindo, lightweight
- Guess: López SD
- Background: The main event fighters all aim to restore lost momentum. Taylor, whose title collection is only one, hasn’t fought since he survived the knockdown beat Jack Catterall by a controversial split decision last February in Scotland, Taylor’s hometown. It was his fourth defense after winning his first title by unanimous decision against Ivan Baranchyk in May 2019. He then defeated Regis Prograis, Apinun Khongsong and Jose Ramirez before put on an excellent performance against Catterall. Lopez flipped the 135-pound division when he upset pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko with a unanimous decision in October 2020. His glory did not last long, however. In his first defense George Kambosos Jr. López is upset by a split decision in November 2021. It was later learned that Lopez was battling a dangerous condition called Pneumomediastinum, in which air surrounded his chest wall and heart. He is also said to have a lot of distractions outside of the ring. He’s been off for over 8 months and back at 140 pounds, stop Pedro Campa last August and defeat a reluctant Sandor Martin by a split decision in December. This is an opportunity for Lopez to regain his lost position against Kambosos.
