TEOFIMO LOPEZ Q&A
Ring: You got rocked in the fifth round of the Rolly fight and held on. Can you walk us through that round? TL: Rolly is an awkward fighter, and in his way, he’s smart. He knows how many times I threw my jab. In the fifth, he timed it and tapped me when I had my hand down. I didn’t pick it up in time, so he countered me with an overhand right. He caught me. He caught me good. I was never hurt. The weirdest part about these exchanges is I was laughing. I couldn’t believe it. I went to clinch him, and he pushed me down. [Referee] Harvey Dock called it a slip, as it should have been. After that, I got back on my feet because I knew he was going to come back at me. Ring: Did you say anything to him in the ring after the fifth? TL: After everything, I did. I think I mentioned to him, ‘You gotta do better than that. You’re going to have to hit me harder than that to finish me.’ (laughs) I told him that the following round. For as much as I have accomplished, and I know the respect I have gained from other fighters, I found out through experience I can get into your head. I unlocked a new demon about myself. I found I can talk to these guys and get to them easier. It makes the fight easier. That’s what I did that night. Rolly really brought out the fighter that I’ve been wanting to see for a long time. It was a beautiful feeling. Ring: Talk about this ability to reinvent yourself. We spoke after the Stevenson fight and I know how pissed you were about that, because you felt it wasn’t a true representation of yourself. Have you watched a replay of that fight yet? TL: No, and I don’t plan to. I’ve seen highlights of it, but I can’t bear to watch it. It’s tough to see. It’s my first real defeat. I can say that. I didn’t lose to [George] Kambosos [in November 2021]. I don’t really count that fight as a loss. I lost to Stevenson. The hardest part about watching
“I did my son bad. I was doing drugs and drinking. I didn’t protect my son the way I should have, and that hurts me,” Senior said. “I had to get myself together again. I was in a deep, dark place. I let the Devil in my life. God brought me back from the dead. I swear to you, I’ll never let that happen again. I blame myself. I let my son down. You know me; I’m a good man. Good people make mistakes. I was tested. I lost. It doesn’t mean I can’t get back up again. All great ones get back up. I would die for my son, for anyone in my family.” What many on the outside do not know about Lopez Jr. is that away from the ring and the combustible environment of the boxing crucible, he is for the most part laid back and cerebral. He has surrounded himself with highly capable people, including maybe the best manager in the game, Keith Connolly. He spoke candidly to The Ring for the first time about what really occurred during the Stevenson training camp and how he rebounded to beat Romero. He also touched on his new level of fatherhood and why he has no respect for “King Ryan.” The Ring: You’re a three-division world champion with a habit of bouncing back. What had to change after the Stevenson loss to get right for the Romero fight? Teofimo Lopez Jr.: What really was the game changer for me mentally was taking affirmative action on my decisions. I put my foot down about where I want my camp: These are the lines I drew [about] how I want my camp to be run, and if anyone wants to pass on them, they can see themselves out the door. A lot of it had to do with myself, and you grow and adapt to what occurs in your life. It led to feeling great and determined going into the Rolly fight. I knew I was going to win. All the hard work this time was going to pay off. I went in with a great attitude, and Rolly gave me his best shots and I succeeded. We came to take over that night.
Lopez landed the sharper blows against Romero and was more consistent over 12 rounds.
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