By: Hans Themistode
A battle of wits between Teofimo Lopez and Josh Taylor seems inevitable. With Lopez owning the WBA, IBF, WBO and WBC “Franchise” lightweight titles following his win over Vasiliy Lomachenko in October 2020, the rising young star has his sights set on a showdown with Taylor.
Believing that there was nothing left to accomplish at lightweight and claiming that the weight drop to the 135-pound limit was taking a toll on his body, Lopez planned to make one defense of his lightweight title first. when moving 5 pounds north. In Lopez’s perfect world, he would quickly capture the unannounced George Kambosos Jr before stripping Taylor of her undisputed status at 140 pounds. But while the 24-year-old believes he has it all figured out, Kambosos Jr. have other ideas.
The Australian-born player confidently and proudly stepped into Lopez’s backyard at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater on November 27 and continued to scrap the old roster before winning with a tight but clear unanimous decision. clear. Considering the amount of verbal threats Lopez lobbied in Taylor’s direction, the 140-pound undisputed celebratory didn’t hold back as he ripped off Lopez’s performance.
Taylor said in an interview with IFL TV: “He’s a talker, I’m glad he was beaten. “It’s time for him to be brought back to earth.”
Following the unforeseen loss, it was revealed that Lopez was dealing with a number of medical issues. According to Dr. Linda Dahl, a respected otolaryngologist, Lopez was battling the air in her chest and was “lucky to be alive”.
As the 24-year-old continues to rest and despite suffering the first defeat of his career, a confrontation with Taylor always seems to be on his mind. Teofimo Lopez Sr., the father and coach of the former lightweight tennis player, has stated several times that after getting wet in the 140-pound weight class, they plan to jump right into the fight against Taylor in the second half of the year. 2022.
However, regardless of the Lopez team and their ambitions, Taylor believes that in terms of their combination, that ship has set sail.
“They were beaten up and they still called my name. He was beaten, badly beaten. I still think he was a bit shocked. He’s not fighting with me now, no chance. ”
