Teofimo Lopez made a full appearance on June 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The Brooklyn boxer became an overnight craze when he overcame Vasiliy Lomachenko to become the undisputed 135-pound champion in October 2020, losing the title to George Kambosos in the second round. first defense and revealed that he had endured mental challenges. Looks like he may never come back.
Then, after an inspirational decision about Sandor Martin last December, he was given a shot at Josh Taylor’s 140-pound title in Lopez’s backyard.
The oddballs have made the undefeated Taylor a favorite but Lopez has made them and all who doubt him look like fools, not just beating the Scots star out of the blue unanimous decision but outperform him.
Taylor, after a stellar performance against Jack Catterall, fought the first innings as if he were back to his old self, delivering some of the cleanest shots of the match as the effects leaders evaluate each other. His body work is particularly efficient.
By the fourth round, however, Lopez had found his rhythm and began to dominate the game. It is clear that he is at least as good as his 32-year-old opponent technically but much faster and more athletic.
Lopez became a sharp ADC mid-game, landing quickly, hitting shots consistently and using his sharp reflexes and IQ to avoid a lot of retaliation.
And it got worse and worse for Taylor as the fight progressed. Until the 12thlame pants and the final round, Lopez was up against an elite opponent who was on many weight lists just two games ago.
It is not surprising that all three judges gave Lopez points (117-111, 115-113 and 115-113). Boxing Junkie had it 116-112 for Lopez, eight innings to four.
As a result, Lopez has regained the world major title and the respect he lost after his win over Lomachenko, making him easily selected as Boxer of the Month for June.
“I just have to ask you one thing and one thing only: “Do I still get it?” he asked the hometown crowd after his victory.
Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) definitely made it.
And he’s not done delivering surprises yet. Immediately after his important victory, he announced his retirement at the age of 25. Of course, very few “retired” boxers in their 20s can last long. We hope to see Lopez back in the ring soon.
However, in the event that he never fights again, he will definitely achieve a high level of achievement.
