T eofimo Lopez Jr. could only see out of his right eye. His left was a swollen, purplish mass following his first and only professional loss, a split decision to George Kambosos Jr. suffered just a few hours before. And now here he was, in the ICU of New York City’s Bellevue Hospital, early Sunday morning, November 28, 2021. He’d just had a heartbreaking revelation, triggered by a FaceTime argument with Cynthia, his then-wife who was not seated ringside that night inside the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden when he lost his Ring Magazine lightweight championship to the Australian underdog.
SLOW-COOKED SUPERFIGHT
There are a lot of “ifs” in this bold plan, but Lopez’s talent can never be counted out. Lopez is, alongside Canelo Alvarez, one of only two active fighters to have beaten two Ring champions. He outpointed Vasiliy Lomachenko for the Ring lightweight title and three alphabet belts in October 2020, then stunned the boxing world again when he dominated Ring/WBO junior welterweight world champion Josh Taylor in June 2023, when many thought Lopez lacked the mental fortitude to beat the previously undefeated Scotsman. Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs), the 2020 co- Fighter of the Year (shared with Tyson Fury), wants to rebuild everything he
my complete love to is boxing. I’m throwing everything – who I am, what I am – into boxing.” There were “outside distractions” stemming from tension between his family and Cynthia during their five- year marriage, claims Lopez. He credits a brief separation for his fine performance against Taylor. But while his father remained in his corner, his relationships with his mother and sisters were strained for years. “My choice was disowning my family, or choosing her,” Lopez said. “That’s what it came down to. My family tried to embrace her. I can tell you they tried. I should have listened to my mother.” Their legal separation started in June
2024, the month he defended his world championship against rugged fringe contender Steve Claggett. Lopez won a lopsided unanimous decision, but neither he nor his father was pleased with his performance, which many fans viewed as lackadaisical. Teofimo Sr. implored his son to be more aggressive during the tepid 12-rounder
Lopez was angry over her absence. He has been boxing his whole life. It’s a part of him, coursing through his bloodstream. But the love of his life, the mother of his son, seemed to care nothing about his boxing career or his many sacrifices. Propped up in his hospital bed, Lopez just needed to see her, to hear why she was not there.
“I [had] lost that love of boxing ... I had to rethink a lot of things after the Claggett fight.”
started with new people in a new year. “You want to know what has changed me, what will fuck everyone in boxing now moving forward? My divorce,” he said. “What hurt me was my wife – or ex-wife. She never cared about boxing. I had to get slapped across the face to find that out. My love and passion for boxing was replaced by my love and passion for a woman, and it hurt me. “I remember sitting in the hospital bed in the ICU arguing with her on FaceTime why she never came to the [Kambosos] fight. She used the excuse that our son was just born – but there were always excuses. So I would go into the ring with her on my mind. That’s dangerous. The change in my boxing is my divorce. Once that is finalized, everyone is fucked. All I am giving
but said his son was “questioning himself in the corner, and you can never have that in boxing.” “I [had] lost that love of boxing,” said Lopez Jr. “I had to rethink a lot of things after the Claggett fight. My wife was killing me.” Brad Goodman, one of Top Rank’s hall of fame matchmakers, calls bullshit on Lopez’s excuse for his hot-and-cold ring appearances. “His wife, or ex-wife, is not why he has had some subpar performances,” said Goodman. “That’s on him. He has the talent and ability to stop guys like Claggett, and he let [Claggett] stick around on a major platform set up for him. He needed to close the show. He didn’t. He has to be accountable for that. When he’s right, the boxing world knows what he can do. He’s proven it.
Four years later, driving through Las Vegas with his father, Teofimo Sr., “The Takeover” feels free. No more anguish. Now 27, and still very much in his prime, Lopez yearns for 2025 to be a huge year. Under new co-managers Mike Borao and Keith Connolly, Lopez is reportedly headed toward a unification bout with IBF junior welterweight titlist Richardson Hitchins this summer, followed by the winner of the April 12 Ring Magazine welterweight championship between IBF titleholder Jaron Ennis and WBA beltholder Eimantas Stanionis sometime in the fall of 2025. And after that, it could be the Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia rematch winner sometime in early 2026.
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