Teofimo Lopez Jr is an unfortunate example of how a boxer can jump from high to low in a split second.
In October 2020, the Brooklyn boxer stunned the world by overtaking the 1st pound weight king Vasiliy Lomachenko to become the undisputed 135th champion and take his place among the good. best in the industry. He seems destined for greatness.
Then, in his first defense last November, he ended up making the wrong end of a nasty match when underling heavyweight George Kambosos Jr beat him with a split decision in New York to take his title and erase his motivation.
Lopez has been left to start over, starting with a fight against equally rival Pedro Campa (34-1-1, 23 KOs) in his new 140 weight class on Saturday in Las Vegas (ESPN).
“I’m so grateful to be back on August 13,” Lopez told BoxingScene.com. “I have been looking forward to this since my last battle. I’ve had a lot of complications, but we’re looking to the future and towards bigger and better things.
“I’m here to take over the 140-pound weight class like I did at 135. Like always, I’m going to bring back the excitement to the sport of boxing.”
Lopez (16-1, 12 KOs) seemed like a star to not miss after defeating Lomachenko, a strong, talented young boxer with a fiery temperament. Fans loved what they saw.
Then came the Kambosos war.
Things weren’t going well for Lopez before, he made it clear later. He said he had a hard time doing 135, that’s why he went up to 140. And then we learned that he was fighting with the air in his chest cavity, which is this. could cause a tragedy.
In addition, the fight was postponed several times, making training complicated for both boxers.
So Lopez doesn’t appear to be the fighter who took down Lomachenko. Kambosos put him down in the first round and he was never able to make up for the lost point, even though he made it close. The official scores are 115-111, 115-112 and 114-113.
He later said he did enough to win but those who watched the match knew better.
And Lopez, 25, seems to have accepted defeat. His focus now is on the dominant boxer many fans expect him to become after his breakout win over Lomachenko. All fighters lose, right?
“I call this fight ‘Get It Back’ because I’m coming to get back what I’ve lost,” he said. “One loss doesn’t define a fighter, and it won’t define me.”
“My best years are ahead,” he continued. “Pedro Campa is the beginning of a new chapter in my career. I will soon be a two-weight world champion. Every candidate and champion in the smaller weight class should be extra careful because I’m coming to erase the division. “
Sounds like the old Lopez. We’ll see if he can fight like he was at his best.
