Via Vince Dwriter: WBO number one ultralightweight contender Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez has stated multiple times that he wants a hit on WBO champion Josh Taylor, but before he can go after Taylor, he has to figure it out. business on December 10 when he faced Sandor Martin (40-2, 13 KOs) at Madison Square Garden, live on ESPN+.
Lopez caught the attention of the boxing world in October 2020 when he secured a decisive victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko. The Takeover put on a nice boxing display while thwarting Lomachenko’s attack by disabling his cornering ability.
The first half of the match was dominated by Lopez, but Lomachenko was able to create an effective attack midway through. Throughout the championship rounds, Lopez was able to regain the momentum to finish strong, and as a result he won and became the unified WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight champion.
Lopez’s reign as the unified lightweight champion will only last 11 months due to a decisive loss to George Kambosos Jr.
He made his ultralight debut in August 2022 against Pedro Campa. Lopez started the fight by scoring consecutively with a stab and a right-hand hit over the head. In the seventh round, Lopez knocked out Campa when he hit him with a right hand, followed by a reverse stab.
Campa was able to get up from the tarp, but Lopez unleashed a series of blows on him that caused the referee to intervene and halt the game. Two months after making his ultralight debut, Lopez announced his second match in 140th would be against Jose Pedraza, but three weeks later Pedraza withdrew from the match due to illness.
Now Teofimo Lopez (17-1, 13 KOs) will enter the squared circle on December 10 to face his new opponent. Lopez’s goal is ultimately to become a two-division world champion. He’s dedicated to his craft and he’s confident he’ll win on Saturday night.
Sandor Martin scored an upset win in October 2021 when he shocked former four-division world champion Mikey Garcia, and six months later he secured a decisive unanimous victory over Jose Felix Jr. Martin shocked the world once with a surprise win over Garcia, and on December 10 he’s set to do it again.
“It was the biggest opportunity of my career. Coming from Spain, it is very difficult to be a boxer. Eleven years of a career, forty-two battles, and this is the biggest opportunity I’ve had. It was three weeks’ notice, but I had to take the chance. We’re making history, and that’s why I’m here,” Martin said at the press conference.
Teofimo Lopez is confident in his preparation and boxing skills. He has a potential chance in 2023 to take on a 140-pound champion like Josh Taylor or Regis Prograis, but for now, Lopez is focused on Sandor Martin. After the confrontation with Martin, Lopez talked about ending 2022 in a sensible way.
“I look forward to finishing and closing this year. We are here to take over as we said and as we say we are. This is now, and it will always be here, forever, for us. I was born for this. These guys are man-made. Teofimo is homemade. Remember. Take over, take over.”
