By: Sean Crose
“Only Boxing news,” Teofimo Lopez has posted on social media. “I am fit and ready to fight! I weigh 150 lbs and train steadily every day and every night! My principles are that when you’re at the top of the mountain, you must continue to build and chisel yourself from the Mind, Body, and soul!” The fighter known as “The Takeover” is ready, it seems, to return to the ring. In this he is rather unusual among many of the bigger names in the American boxing landscape. Lopez’ last fight, after all, was only about half a year ago. Not only that, the man fought twice last year. That used to be considered normal for a popular boxer. Sadly, that’s no longer the case, at least not in America, where top fighters have decided to make boxing a very lucrative part time endeavor.
The truth is that the twenty-seven year old Lopez has indeed spent considerable time away from the ring himself throughout the course of his career. Since mid 2023, however, Lopez has been active, fighting and defeating Steve Claggett, Jamaine Ortiz, and Josh Taylor respectively. Of course, one has to wonder if Lopez aims to remain the WBO junior welterweight champion of the world now that he’s admittedly weighing 150 pounds (which indicates he might now want to fight at welterweight). Still, a high end fighter like Lopez can easily drop ten pounds in camp, so fans and analysts will have to wait and see what division he lands in for his next fight.
Yet no matter what division he ends up fighting in, it’s clear Lopez wants back in the game as soon as is reasonably possible. Bursting with energy, he has taken to bombarding social media as of late. “Not one,” he’s said, “& I mean no one, Fighter/Boxer, has brought more to the table of interest than TEOFIMO since the days of MAYWEATHER & CANELO.” That may be open for debate. What’s not open for debate, however, is the fact Lopez appears dissatisfied lately with fighting under the Top Rank Promotions banner.
“I am too expensive for TopRank,” he’s posted, “but the truth is that (Top Rank President) Todd DeBouf is the issue here. He hasn’t liked me or my father since I started THE TAKEOVER EST. 2018 & probably beforehand. Now he is the Chairman of TopRank so people do the math. By Law I have Freedom of Speech.” No one but the parties involved can prove or disprove what Lopez has stated. Again, however, the fighter seems to by itchy, unsatisfied. Such things can lead to hunger. And hunger is a potent weapon to bring into the ring.
