Back in 2018, Boxing internals My name is Teofimo Lopez Outlook of the year. There is a good reason for this. Lopez is more than just a gimmicky figure. He had an 11-0 record and nine of those wins were by knockout. Lopez will climb to the top of the mountain of the sport. Lopez is so sure of this that he and his team call his career trajectory “The Takeover.” However, a lot can change in 5 years, both for the better and for the worse. For the outspoken Brooklynite had his glories during that time, but he also had his hard times. Now, ahead of Saturday’s fight with WBO welterweight champion Josh Taylor at Madison Square Garden, Lopez will face the biggest challenge of his career since he defeated Vasyl Lomachenko in 2020.
There’s a lot going on for the 25-year-old Lopez here. The first lightweight title defense he won from Lomachenko ended in a surprising defeat to George Kambosos in 2021. Since that time, Lopez has been promoted from lightweight to junior. and defeated Pedro Campa and Sandro Martin respectively. However, after making the leap to a heavier division, questions about whether Lopez’s acclaimed power would continue arose. After all, he beat Martin by split – and that was after he was defeated in the second game by the man who had forced Mikey Garcia to retire. Furthermore, Lopez has not fought in the 12th round of the championship since the loss at the gloved hands of Kambosos.
While it’s true that Lopez has only been defeated once, Scotland’s Taylor has never lost. Furthermore, Taylor, like Lopez, has a big name on her resume. Just as Lomachenko fell to Lopez by decision, so Regis Prograis fell to Taylor by decision when the two hit back in 2019. In fact, Taylor is an ideal opponent for Lopez. If he wins this weekend in New York, Lopez will once again find himself in the warm glow of the limelight. However, if “The Takeover” fails in its takeover attempt on Saturday, Lopez could be seen by the public as damaged merchandise. Some have openly questioned Lopez’s mind (fair and/or unfair), but it was his performance against Taylor that the fighting world will focus on in just a few short days. short. If he prepares well, things can turn out well.
