For boxing writers seeking to submit greater than easy, boring combat experiences, Teofimo Lopez is a present from the gods.
I imply, telling an viewers to “go suck a dick, no homo” after which following that up, seconds later, with “Jesus is actual?” Severely. That’s placing a 16-inch softball on a tee. And who quotes “Rosa Park” [sic] and (mis)quotes the traditional Egyptians, earlier than declaring that “Devil misplaced tonight” in that very same post-fight interview? From a purely egocentric perspective, all I can say is God bless that wonderful weirdo.
However, yeah, okay…the combat.
Dressed as a giant high ringmaster consistent with the promotion’s circus motif, Lopez made his ring stroll via a sword swallower and different assorted circus acts earlier than Thursday’s junior welterweight title combat on ESPN. Prime Rank live-tagged the defending WBO 140 lb. champ on social media with the daring “That is the Best Showman” as he smiled and glibly show-bizzed his manner via the doorway.
However what ensued within the ring was much less Barnum & Bailey “Best Present on Earth” and extra just like the lame on line casino circus acts over the slot machines at Circus Circus.
Challenger Jamaine Ortiz fought in retreat over twelve rounds, however managed to negate all the things that makes Lopez an entertaining fighter. Lopez, in the meantime, did nothing to show the tide on an opponent who was clearly targeted on being a spoiler.
With nothing a lot actually occurring, it didn’t take lengthy for the stressed 6,206 who paid to see this Tremendous Bowl week occasion on the scaled-down Michelob Extremely Middle in Las Vegas to start out voicing their displeasure. The boos rained down early and returned all through this combat that by no means really became a combat.
On the finish of the night, Lopez walked away with a unanimous choice, successful by two tallies of 115-113 and an I’m-giving-Teo-every-benefit-of-every-doubt 117-111 rating from decide Steve Weisfeld. Lopez most likely deserved the decision– barely so– but it surely’s exhausting to care all that a lot about who will get his hand raised in a bout the place each fighters common about 6 punches landed per spherical.
Make no mistake about it, although, even with the official “W,” Teofimo walked away a giant loser on Thursday night time.
“Hey individuals, individuals! People, people, hear up, man. Pay attention up,” Lopez shouted throughout his in-ring post-fight interview as followers booed the choice.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, ya’ll can boo all you need. Suck a dick, no homo,” he added as father and coach Teofimo Sr. lamented with a ‘no, no, no, noooo’ off digicam. “Chill out, loosen up. Let me return on this, okay? We can’t, for one second, declare these individuals, these fighters that don’t need to come and combat. You go to blood, sweat and tears. The three code of conduct. Sugar Ray Robinson award. For those who ain’t prepared for this life, get the “f” outta my sport. I’m a champion. I bleed for this. I sweat for this. And I cry for this, each time. Jesus is actual and all I can say, might God giveth, God taketh, blessed be the title of the Lord.”
If something showcased to the world Teofimo Lopez, the person, it was that jumbled mess of a post-fight monologue. Equal components offended, vainglorious, insecure, and delusional, the 26-year-old, who has simple world class skill as a fighter, has usually been his personal worst enemy.
With superstardom aspirations and a profession trajectory that gave the impression to be taking him there up till late 2020, the Brooklyn-based fighter has self-sabotaged his rise to crossover success with poor choices and inconsistent ring showings. As soon as probably the most commercially promising of the younger crop of expertise from 135 to 140 lbs., he’s fallen behind all of them now and is definitely additional away from a giant ticket mega-fight than he was three or 4 years in the past.
Following a real breakthrough victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko in October of 2020 to seize the IBF, WBA, and WBO world light-weight titles, the younger fighter stalled contract talks with high contender George Kambosos Jr., forcing a handbag bid in hopes of an even bigger payday away from Prime Rank.
He bought his want as upstart streaming service Triller would win the purse bid, thereby taking him away from his promoter and the all-important ESPN highlight for the primary title protection of his reign.
What ensued, although, was a mangled mess of incompetence and delays from Triller, which fumbled logistics at each flip and was ultimately compelled to forfeit its proper to stage the combat to second-highest bidder, Eddie Hearn.
By the point Lopez lastly bought into the ring to face Kambosos, greater than 13 months after the Lomachenko win, he had suffered via one frustration after one other. He had contracted COVID alongside the best way and walked into that preliminary title protection with a COVID-related and doubtlessly deadly pneumomediastinum bogging down his dropping efforts.
The loss would cease “The Takeover” in its tracks and ship Lopez as much as 140, the place a considerably uneven efficiency towards restricted Pedro Campa made technique to a extremely dangerous efficiency towards spoiler Sandor Martin, who many really feel deserved to take the choice. After that outing, Lopez was caught on digicam, clearly dejected, asking his individuals if he nonetheless had “it.”
He would then perform a comeback of kinds by dominating a spiritless Josh Taylor, who as soon as upon a time was unified junior welterweight champ, however had slipped into inactivity and regarded remarkably NOT world class in his one bout since unifying the belts.
Teofimo was BACK…or, possibly, not.
This Ortiz bout was alleged to be a showcase for Lopez’s fundamental stage, star-level chops as contemporaries similar to Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, and Devin Haney already flex their big-fight muscle mass. As an alternative, it affirmed his limitations and character flaws.
He can’t swap issues up and make changes. He can’t reduce off the ring and power his will on an uncooperative foe. And when his failings are spotlighted for the world to see, he lashes out on the world, curls up behind comforting, however finally delusional ideas, and blames everybody however himself for a way badly issues turned out. It’s a sample we’ve seen a number of instances already in his comparatively quick profession.
This brings into query why Prime Rank retains matching him with guys who will present the chinks in his armor and deflate his rise. Ostensibly, pitting a man who struggles with movers and spoilers towards movers and spoilers might be seen as a developmental technique, a technique to have a fighter get higher at what he struggles with. However everyone knows that’s not how Prime Rank, nor boxing on the whole, works.
Headliners, two-division world champs with potential crossover star energy, aren’t normally handled as works in progress on the pinnacle of their bodily prime atop ESPN exhibits. At this level in Teofimo’s profession, the concept can be to make him look good and construct his model in pursuit of a blockbuster pay-per-view combat. Prime Rank, nonetheless, has endeavored to make him look dangerous. Or, no less than, that’s the way it appears.
Bob Arum and his matchmakers are geniuses at matching their fighters. They confirmed a few of that genius in pitting Keyshawn Davis towards a pale, one-nudge-from-a-spectacular-fall Jose Pedraza on the Lopez-Ortiz undercard. It was a bout that promised risk to the younger Davis, however was actually a calculated gimme. It was basic Prime Rank matchmaking and the form of stuff that successfully builds stars.
So, the matchmaking mind belief at Prime Rank is aware of higher on the subject of matching Lopez.
It’s nearly as if the promotional firm is harboring a grudge towards Lopez, presumably for forcing that Kambosos purse bid again in 2021, which finally derailed their plans to construct his star the best way they needed. Lopez has additionally taken a handful of mean-spirited photographs at Prime Rank in addition to ESPN over the previous few years.
Harboring a grudge towards the fighter you’re working to advertise can be an absurd thought, if Arum didn’t have a historical past of stepping on and smothering “uppity” fighters. This was demonstrated most lately by his efforts to bury a vocal, dissatisfied Terence Crawford when he was underneath contract and his sudden lack of help for Shakur Stevenson after Stevenson talked about his want to pursue free company when his contract expires later this 12 months.
However, regardless of the case, Teofimo Lopez is finally chargeable for all the things occurring with Teofimo Lopez.
The uneven performances, the lapses in judgment, the unwillingness to actually and really take the non-public stock wanted to develop as a fighter (and possibly as a person). That’s all on him. And whereas Arum/Prime Rank might cover most of that in the event that they needed to with good promotion and intelligent matchmaking, they’re not doing so. They’re giving the younger fighter all of the rope he must figuratively grasp himself– and that’s precisely what he’s doing.
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