Less than three years ago, Teofimo Lopez dethroned Vasiliy Lomachenko and became the undisputed lightweight champion. As he ascended to the top of boxing discussions and conversations, the New York native began to deal with several personal, medical and business issues. Ultimately, Lopez ended up receiving the first decision loss of his professional career against George Kambosos Jr. Since then, Lopez has moved up to the super lightweight division.
Teofimo Lopez made his debut in the 140-debut division against Pedro Campa. At Resorts World in Las Vegas, the former champion dominated Campa en route to a seventh-round victory. Lopez’s comeback performance built up enough momentum for the Top Rank fighter to earn a headlining bout at Madison Square Garden. In a ten-round bout on the night the Heisman Memorial Trophy was presented, Lopez stepped up to fight Sandor Martin. While Lopez was a heavy favorite, Martin was able to frustrate Lopez at times and catch him coming in with his head down. Not to be forgotten, Martin was able to knock Lopez down. Still, Lopez was able to fight back and make the fight close. In the end, two of the judges scored the bout in his favor. However, some of Lopez’s peers felt that he did not live up to the way in which he was promoted.
“Whether you thought it was close or not a bad decision is a bad decision. How in the world did Teo win that 97-93 or whatever that last score? [That] was disgusting,” lightweight contender Ryan Garcia tweeted.
“That’s how Top Rank [makes] you look. [They make you look] like you [are] fire and you can’t be touched until they can’t [anymore]. They [are] all trash,” WBA “Regular” Lightweight Champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis noted.
“Kambosos ruined Teo. He will never [be] the same,” undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney added.
Despite commentary from those around the sport of boxing, this victory puts Lopez in line for a title shot. Teofimo Lopez could challenge Josh Taylor or Regis Prograis for their super lightweight titles as early as next year.
