Teddy Atlas has little doubt that Teofimo Lopez has suffered a decline in his boxing talents.
The famed coach and Corridor of Fame broadcaster lately voiced a sentiment that appears to be rising within the boxing world, and that’s that Lopez, a former unified light-weight champion, has not regarded the identical since his upset loss to George Kambosos Jr. in November 2021.
Query marks, certainly, abounded instantly after Lopez’s final efficiency, a tricky break up resolution win over Sandor Martin a number of weeks in the past at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis. Lopez was unable to mount a constant offense in opposition to the cagey Spaniard and even discovered himself briefly on the canvas at one level early within the combat. Whereas the decision could not have been in any doubt — many, nonetheless, had an issue with choose Pasquale Procopio, who turned in an uncomfortably large scorecard of 97-92 in favor of Lopez — few would say that they have been impressed by Lopez’s newest outing. Even Lopez appeared to query himself after the combat.
Atlas himself didn’t mince phrases in his evaluation of the 25-year-old native of Brooklyn.
“Not solely has Lopez not progressed, he’s regressed,” Atlas stated on his podcast The Battle with Teddy Atlas. “He does nothing. You gonna assume I’m being powerful. No, I’m being sincere. If he have been a baseball participant, he’d again to hitting from the tee. Actually. Actually. I’m critical. He confirmed nothing.
“He pushed his jab all evening, he reaches into counters. If anyone of any intelligence of this sport was in his nook … there’s only one factor I wanted to inform Lopez. Hear, all evening lengthy, each time you are available, he’s not there. He steps out and makes you miss.
Atlas had a couple of phrases of recommendation for Lopez.
“Feint, feint,” Atlas stated. “Act such as you’re going to come back in. Get him to make that step out prematurely. And are available behind a snapping not a pushing jab and get him. And shut the hole and get him.”
“No one taught him that. No one to inform him that. Who’s gonna inform him that, and extra importantly who’s gonna train him that within the gymnasium. No one. No one.”
Atlas advised that Lopez must discover a new coach however realizes that’s an emotionally fraught scenario on condition that Lopez’s coach can be his father, the usually boisterous Teofimo Lopez Sr.
“This child’s alone,” Atlas stated. “You speaking about being alone within the ring. Once you get in that ring he’s actually alone. And you realize what there’ part of him in all probability on some degree … there’s part of him that in all probability is aware of that however he received’t go in opposition to his father. He in all probability is aware of that he’s in that sort of jail and that form of rocket ship downward and he’s in it.
“However the man driving the rocket ship is his father and he’s not going to kick his father out of that seat. He’s staying in that rocket ship till it crashes or wherever it freaking goes. There’s gotta be part of him, on an emotional degree, that’s depressed over that. Intellectually, he has to know that, on some degree and figuring out that he’s in a kamikaze flight. Actually.”
“Jab to the chest, any person inform him that,” Atlas suggested. “Hey this man’s controlling you on the skin, that’s his world. He desires to dwell on the market. Stabilize him. Jab to the chest, you received’t miss so simply. Simply stabilize him so simply. And snap your jab. Don’t push it. Little issues like that. Widespread sense issues. Go to the physique. Go to the physique. He’s utilizing his legs to defeat you, or provide you with bother, proper?”
