By: Sean Crose
There really wasn’t much to say about Saturday’s IBF junior welterweight title fight between defending champion Josh Taylor and Brooklyn’s Teofimo Lopez, except that “The Takeover” had clearly taken over once again. Although he may have won the first few rounds, Taylor was pretty much dominated by Lopez at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater on Saturday night. That is until Lopez decided to really start rocking his opponent. By the time the final bell rang to end the match, it was a wonder Taylor was still on his feet. Lopez’ performance was that one sided.
“I apologize as a man,” Lopez sincerely told Taylor after officially winning the fight via unanimous decision (he had previously said he wanted to kill the defending champion). “I’ve always been my worst critic,” he went on to say, referring to his own self analysis regarding his athletic performance. One thing is certain – Lopez, who hadn’t truly impressed anyone since his upset victory over Vasyl Lomachenko a few years back – has returned to looking in prime form. If he continues to perform like he did against Taylor, the man will be a tough out for anyone he faces. “Congratulations to Teofimo,” Taylor said graciously after the fight. “I’ve got no excuses.”