Teofimo Lopez

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Teófimo Andrés López Rivera[2] (born July 30, 1997) is an American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and Ring magazine light welterweight titles since June 2023; previously he held the unified World Boxing Association (WBA) (Super version), International Boxing Federation (IBF), WBO, and Ring lightweight titles between 2019 and 2021. Lopez has also held the lineal championship at lightweight and light welterweight. As an amateur, he represented Honduras at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

As of June 2023, Lopez is ranked as the world's best active light welterweight by The Ring magazine[3] and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board,[4] and second by ESPN.[5]

Early life

Lopez was born to Honduran immigrants on July 30, 1997, in Brooklyn, New York. His paternal grandfather, a Spaniard from Ávila who was born in 1916, emigrated shortly after the Second World War, going to Brazil first before settling in Honduras.[6] His father, Teofimo Lopez Sr. left Honduras with his mother at age 5, settling in Brooklyn.[7] The family eventually relocated to Florida, where Lopez Sr. first started training his son at the age of 6.[8]

Amateur career

Lopez won the U.S. Olympic Trials[9] but Carlos Balderas had already secured the United States' sole lightweight entry into the tournament as AIBA's World Series of Boxing champion,[10] so Lopez was aware entering the trials that at best he could only qualify as an alternate for Balderas (who lost in the Olympic quarterfinals). Lopez was able to qualify for the Honduran team, where his parents are from, and reached the finals of the Olympic qualifying tournament for the Americas to earn his place in Rio. Lopez also won the 2015 National Golden Gloves. He competed in the men's lightweight event at the 2016 Summer Olympics representing Honduras. where he was defeated by the eventual silver medalist Sofiane Oumiha.[2]

Professional career

Early career

Lopez signed with Top Rank in October 2016,[11] and made his debut on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas fight in November of the same year.[12] After compiling a perfect 10–0 record, he announced himself to the world stage in December 2018 by beating veteran Mason Menard with a knockout of the year candidate.[13]

In his next fight, Lopez, already ranked #9 by the WBA, #11 by the WBC and #10 by the WBO, faced another boxing veteran in Diego Magdaleno, which ended in another brutal knockout win for Lopez. He attracted some controversy after his exuberant celebration with Magdaleno still down on the canvas.[14][15]

Lopez's winning streak continued, improving to 13–0 with a fifth-round knockout victory against former world title challenger Edis Tatli on April 20, 2019, on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Amir Khan at Madison Square Garden, New York City.[16]

IBF lightweight champion

Lopez vs. Nakatani

On July 19, 2019, Lopez who was ranked #4 by the IBF at the time, faced undefeated Masayoshi Nakatani, who was ranked #3, in a final eliminator for the IBF world lightweight title.[17] In the fourth round, Lopez knocked Nakatani down with his right hand, but the referee ruled it a slip. The fight marked the first time Lopez had gone 12 rounds in his career, and he was awarded a unanimous decision victory with scores of 118–110, 118–110, 119–109, setting up a clash with IBF champion Richard Commey.[18]

Lopez vs. Commey

On December 14, 2019, Lopez challenged the IBF lightweight champion Richard Commey. Lopez won the IBF title in spectacular fashion after connecting on Commey with a big right hand, and finishing him with a second-round technical knockout. After the conclusion of the fight, Lopez was joined in the ring by fellow lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko, with whom he took a photo with. When asked about his plans for his next fight and a possible unification bout with Lomachenko, Lopez replied, "You guys know who I want," referring to Lomachenko without explicitly naming him.[19][20]

Unified lightweight champion

Lopez vs. Lomachenko

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Main article: Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teófimo López

In September 2020, Lopez agreed to fight unified WBA (Super), WBO, and The Ring champion, Vasiliy Lomachenko, on October 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was the first major fight since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. With no live audience, Lopez defied the odds with a stunning upset victory as he beat the highly-regarded Ukrainian by unanimous decision to unify the lightweight division and maintain his unbeaten record, with the judges' scorecards reading 116–112, 117–111 and 119–109.[21] The first seven rounds saw Lopez staying behind his jab and going to the body, with his opponent offering very little in response. In the second half, Lomachenko started coming out more offensively, landing more punches. However, in the final round, Lopez landed 50 of 98 punches thrown (51%), the most an opponent has landed on Lomachenko in a round. According to CompuBox stats, Lomachenko landed 141 of 321 thrown (44%), while Lopez landed 183 of 659 thrown (28%).[22]

Lopez declined to give Lomachenko a rematch, explaining that “everybody [in Lomachenko’s camp] was being a dick to me, my father. He [Lomachenko] didn’t want to put a rematch clause in our contract."[23] In the wake of his victory, Lopez asserted that he is the undisputed lightweight champion, despite not holding the WBC belt.[24][25] However, the claim was contested by many boxing analysts and fans, as the 'Franchise' version of the WBC title won by Lopez against Lomachenko lacks recognition from a large portion of the boxing community,[26][27][28] including Devin Haney, recognized by others as the holder of the legitimate WBC lightweight title.[29][30]

Lopez vs. Kambosos Jr.

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Main article: Teófimo López vs. George Kambosos Jr.

Lopez's first defense of his unified lightweight championship had been scheduled for June 5, 2021, against undefeated contender George Kambosos Jr, before being delayed multiple times due to complications involving Lopez testing positive for COVID-19,[31] and disputes over the venue of the fight.[32][33] The fight had gone to purse bids which was won by Triller with a winning bid of over US$6 million, leading to a fallout between Lopez and Bob Arum, head promoter at Top Rank.[34] On October 6, it transpired that the IBF had found Triller in default of its contract obligation to stage the fight, and that its rights would be awarded to the second highest bidder, Eddie Hearn's Matchroom, meaning that the fight will be shown live exclusively on the streaming service DAZN.[35][36] Despite Kambosos entering the bout as a 13 to 1 pre-fight betting underdog,[37] he knocked down the champion in the first round of the fight. Despite returning the favor by knocking down Kambosos in the tenth round, Lopez ultimately lost the bout via split decision. One judge scored the bout 114–113 to Lopez, while the other two judges scored it 115–112 and 115–111 for Kambosos Jr.[38]

Light welterweight

Lopez vs. Campa, Martin

For Lopez's eighteenth professional fight, he moved up to the light welterweight division. In his first bout at the weight class on August 13, 2022, he successfully rebounded from his loss against Kambosos by defeating Pedro Campa via seventh-round technical knockout after a dominant performance.[39]

Lopez would return on December 10, 2022, against European light welterweight champion Sandor Martin in his second bout at the 140 lb limit. The first round saw an aggressive start from Lopez, where Martin busted his nose during a clash of heads. Martin was able to knock Lopez down in the second round with a check right hook. The fight was competitive, resulting in a split decision after the final bell, with judges' scorecards of 97–92 and 96–93 in Lopez's favor, and 95–94 in Martin's favor.[40] Lopez was caught on camera in the ring post-fight candidly questioning his team: "Do I still got it?"[41]

WBO and The Ring light welterweight champion

Lopez vs. Taylor

On April 8, 2023, it was officially announced that Lopez would attempt to become a two-division world champion and challenge undefeated WBO and The Ring light welterweight champion Josh Taylor on June 10 at the Hulu Theater in New York City. He won the fight by unanimous decision, becoming a 2 division world champion.[42] On June 12, Lopez announced his retirement from boxing.[43]

Lopez vs. Ortiz

On February 8, 2024 in Las Vegas, Lopez defeated Jamaine Ortiz by unanimous decision and made the first successful defence of WBO light welterweight title.[44]

Personal life

On April 23, 2019, Lopez married his wife Cynthia Lopez, who is originally from Nicaragua. They first met on a Delta Air Lines flight from New York City to Las Vegas shortly after Lopez's victorious 9th pro fight against Vitor Jones Freitas, on which Cynthia was a flight attendant.[45] Shortly after marrying, they spent their honeymoon vacation in Greece.[46]

On February 12, 2021, Lopez used his social media platforms to speak up about injustice and stand in support with victims of racial violence, issuing a message in support of Asian communities around the world in light of Lunar New Year and continued increasing anti-Asian racism in 2021.[47]

Lopez's native language is English, and he also can understand and speak Spanish.[48]

On June 15, 2021, Lopez tested positive for COVID-19, leading to the postponement of his fight with George Kambosos Jr.[49]

Professional boxing record

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No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
21 Win 20–1 Jamaine Ortiz UD 12 Feb 8, 2024 Michelob Ultra Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBO and The Ring light welterweight titles
20 Win 19–1 Josh Taylor UD 12 Jun 10, 2023 Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Won WBO and The Ring light welterweight titles
19 Win 18–1 Sandor Martin SD 10 Dec 10, 2022 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained WBO International light welterweight title
18 Win 17–1 Pedro Campa TKO 7 (10), 2:14 Aug 13, 2022 Resorts World Las Vegas, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Won vacant NABF and WBO International light welterweight titles
17 Loss 16–1 George Kambosos Jr SD 12 Nov 27, 2021 Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Lost WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles
16 Win 16–0 Vasiliy Lomachenko UD 12 Oct 17, 2020 MGM Grand Conference Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Retained IBF lightweight title;
Won WBA (Super), WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles
15 Win 15–0 Richard Commey TKO 2 (12), 1:13 Dec 14, 2019 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Won IBF lightweight title
14 Win 14–0 Masayoshi Nakatani UD 12 Jul 19, 2019 MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S.
13 Win 13–0 Edis Tatli KO 5 (12), 1:32 Apr 20, 2019 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained NABF lightweight title
12 Win 12–0 Diego Magdaleno KO 7 (10), 1:08 Feb 2, 2019 The Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas, U.S. Retained NABA, NABF, and USBA lightweight titles
11 Win 11–0 Mason Menard KO 1 (10), 0:44 Dec 8, 2018 Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Won vacant NABA, NABF, and USBA lightweight titles
10 Win 10–0 William Silva TKO 6 (10), 0:15 Jul 14, 2018 Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. Won vacant WBC Continental Americas lightweight title
9 Win 9–0 Vitor Jones Freitas KO 1 (8), 1:04 May 12, 2018 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 Juan Pablo Sanchez UD 6 Feb 3, 2018 American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 Josh Ross TKO 2 (6), 1:57 Oct 13, 2017 A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 Christian Santibanez UD 6 Jul 7, 2017 A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 Ronald Rivas KO 2 (6), 2:21 May 20, 2017 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Jorge Luis Munguia TKO 2 (6), 0:48 Apr 21, 2017 Osceola Heritage Center, Kissimmee, Florida, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Daniel Bastien KO 2 (6), 0:39 Mar 17, 2017 The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Francisco Medel TKO 4 (4), 0:58 Feb 24, 2017 Tony Rosa Community Center, Palm Bay, Florida, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Ishwar Siqueiros KO 2 (4), 2:03 Nov 5, 2016 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.

See also

References

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External links

Sporting positions
Amateur boxing titles
Previous:
Maliek Montgomery		 U.S. Golden Gloves
lightweight champion
2015		 Next:
Maliek Montgomery
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Ryan Martin		 WBC Continental Americas
lightweight champion
July 14, 2018 – November 2018
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Adrian Estrella
Vacant
Title last held by
Ray Beltrán		 NABF lightweight champion
December 8, 2018 – November 2019
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Oscar Duarte Jurado
Vacant
Title last held by
Devin Haney		 USBA lightweight champion
December 8, 2018 – November 2019
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Michel Rivera
Vacant
Title last held by
Demond Brock		 NABA lightweight champion
February 2, 2019 – September 2019
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Chris Colbert
Vacant
Title last held by
Lee Reeves		 NABF light welterweight champion
August 13, 2022 – December 2022
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Steve Claggett
Vacant
Title last held by
Arnold Barboza Jr.		 WBO International
light welterweight champion
August 13, 2022 – June 10, 2023
Won world title
World boxing titles
Preceded by IBF lightweight champion
December 14, 2019 – November 27, 2021		 Succeeded by
George Kambosos Jr.
Preceded by WBA lightweight champion
Super title
October 17, 2020 – November 27, 2021
WBO lightweight champion
October 17, 2020 – November 27, 2021
The Ring lightweight champion
October 17, 2020 – November 27, 2021
Preceded by WBO light welterweight champion
June 10, 2023 – present		 Incumbent
The Ring light welterweight champion
June 10, 2023 – present
Awards
Previous:
Jaime Munguia		 The Ring Prospect of the Year
2018		 Next:
Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Previous:
Canelo Álvarez		 The Ring Fighter of the Year
2020
With: Tyson Fury		 Next:
Canelo Álvarez
BWAA Fighter of the Year
2020

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 DAZN Boxing tale of the tape prior to the George Kambosos Jr. fight.
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  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Roscher, Liz (June 12, 2023). "Teofimo Lopez announces retirement from boxing at 25". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved June 18, 2023.oul
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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