Teofimo López suddenly came forward and sat down in a chair, as if waiting for a question.
Then came his trademark smile and typical cocky personality.
Why is he so hated among his contemporaries?
Why do so many people think he has a problem?
“Because I’m great,” Lopez immediately told the Post. “And I did it faster than every champion you can think of and name. Plus, I have a clean image. Plus, no one controls me. Plus, here’s the thing. has many pluses.
“People can ignore me all they want, but that teaches me, kid, that what other people say about you is hell, and if they say you’re crazy, it’s hell.” The only motive is to show others. You know what’s wrong? You don’t believe in yourself. It’s crazy now.”
But it was that criticism and hostility that led Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs), a 26-year-old two-division champion from Brooklyn who currently holds the WBO super lightweight belt, to temporarily retire.
After his last fight, in which he won his current title with a resounding unanimous decision victory over Josh Taylor at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in June, Lopez declared his impending retirement from boxing.
Most everyone knew that Lopez was clearly not serious about backing out, but his feelings of resentment toward much of the boxing community were telling.
Of course, he’s not retired for long, and is now the heavy favorite to take on Jemain Ortiz (17-1-1) for the WBO super-lightweight title in the main event of the Top Rank card on February 8th. Defending (ESPN, 10th: 10:30 p.m. ET, at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, right at the start of Super Bowl weekend.
“Everyone wanted to label me that I was crazy and not mentally right,” Lopez said. “So you said you know? That’s hell. I’m going to retire and let you join me with other fighters who you guys claim are better than me and have accomplished more than me.” Said. Let’s see what they do and what they bring.
“I wanted the boxing community to understand that whether they like me or not, I’m important to them.”
Lopez gave various names of people who he considers others to be better or better than him.
WBC super lightweight champion and former absolute lightweight champion Devin Haney and WBC lightweight champion and three-division champion Shakur Stevenson are the first two.
Along with Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, they make up an exclusive group of big stars in the lightweight and super lightweight divisions, and the elite of these two divisions has emerged as one of boxing’s biggest draws. There is.
Lopez, who defeated Vasily Lomachenko in 2020 to become the unified lightweight champion and rose to prominence as one of the strongest pound-for-pound fighters at a young age, belonged to this group, but he has been somewhat missing recently.
Lopez, who defeated Lomachenko at just 23 years old, lost his first defense to George Kambosos and vacated the WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight belts.
Lopez then began his comeback at super lightweight.
He KO’d Pedro Campa in his debut in the division, followed by a controversial split decision win over Sandor Martin.
The match with Martin raised concerns that perhaps Lopez’s best was behind him and that he would never be able to reach his previous heights again.
But against Taylor, a respected former undisputed champion, he looked more like his old self, if not more.
It was a stark reminder of what a force Lopez is and what an exhilarating show he produces.
“It was the best performance of my career so far,” Lopez said. “And the reason I say this is because I don’t know what I’m going to do next. That’s the beauty of this work. It’s the unknown.”
More than just a strong fighter, Lopez always has an eye for entertainment, and he puts on shows in cities known for their entertainers.
It’s only fitting that an interesting fighter jet performs in an interesting city.
But it’s also appropriate. Like any entertainer fighting for attention in Las Vegas, Lopez has to jockey for his spot among stars of a similar age and weight.
It’s a good thing he likes to stand out.
“I’ve always been that person, I’ve never been part of a group,” Lopez said. “Starting as an amateur, I’ve never been in a group. I’ve always been alone. Now I’m alone. And that’s how I feel when I step into the ring.
“So why do I need a group to feel confident in myself?”
