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Boxing

Teofimo Lopez sets his price to fight again after claiming Retirement

Teofimo Lopez was ranked #10 in Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound rankings following his surprise victory against WBO light welterweight champion Josh Taylor last weekend.

Teofimo Lopez upset previously undefeated Josh Taylor to become a two-weight world champion, and he quickly declared his retirement. Lopez entered the fight as a betting underdog, and many fans questioned his mental state. He silenced his detractors with a performance reminiscent of his statement victory against Vasiliy Lomachenko at lightweight.

During his bout with Teofimo Lopez, Josh Taylor stated he saw a considerable reduction in his powers by the fifth round. Taylor of Scotland was defeated by former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez on Saturday night at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Taylor started out strong in the early rounds, but once Lopez got his stride, the Brooklyn native never let up.

Towards the end of the title rounds, Teofimo Lopez took control of the fight by hitting Josh Taylor with some big punches. Lopez seemed to be on the verge of a stoppage by the late rounds. As the fight went on, it became clear that Lopez’s hands were faster and sharper. In the middle of the seventh round, Lopez hit Taylor with a right hand that threw him off balance. Lopez eventually won a unanimous judgement. The victory was sweet vindication for Lopez, who had been beset by personal problems and issues originating from ill-advised statements he made to the press in the run-up to the fight.

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“Tonight was for me,” Lopez explained after his win. “And I like against all odds. I like when I question myself. I do it on purpose. I need the pressure on me because that’s what makes diamonds. And tonight, I shined very bright tonight.”

The day after the fight, he went on social media to say that he was giving up boxing at the age of 25. “What a relief! Retired at the Top. Thank you boxing for the amazing life you’ve provided for myself and my entire loved ones! THE DOUBLE GREATEST!,” he posted.

Many people in the sport are doubtful about Lopez’s quick choice, and he has left the door open to coming back. He told Shawn Porter on his show that he would need a lot of money to get back into the ring.

“Yes, he said he was giving up fighting, but I think that’s something boxers do these days. They just say that they are retiring and keep fighting,” Paulie Malignaggi said on his YouTube that he knew Tyson Fury did that when Teofimo Lopez said he was retiring.

Lopez has spent the most of the last week talking about retirement, then announcing it on two consecutive days before doing it again on ESPN. He’s made it clearly apparent that he’s retiring by renting a plane to write “I’M RETIRED” in the sky.

He addressed his remarks on The Porter Way Podcast on Sunday, stating it all came down to him not getting what he believes he deserves.

“The only way you get Teofimo back is a nine-figure contract deal. Because I’ve made ESPN over a hundred million dollars, and I’m still getting paid a million dollars to fight. While all these others fights who have not even done a quarter of what I’ve done and accomplished are in the sport, they’re getting 8, 10, 12, 15 million dollars. So obviously I’m the black sheep of the industry,” he explained.

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After the champion’s match against Taylor, which was at times perfect, fans will want him to stay around. He also has a lot of ready opponents. Three other champions at super lightweight want to unify the belts, and some of his old rivals want to fight in the class for the first time.

 

Priyadarshan G

Priyadarshan G

priyadarshan

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