Ryan Garcia Offers Friendly Advice to Teofimo Lopez
Boxing is a brutal sport, both mentally and physically. With success comes newfound fame and notoriety, and with failure comes criticism and scrutiny. Some fighters are simply not prepared to deal with the bad the way they deal with the good. Case in point is former unified 135-pound champion Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez (16-1, 12KOs).
After pulling off a big upset over three-division world champion Vasyl Lomachenko in October of 2020, Lopez was riding high! He was the new face of the lightweight division, and he let it be known. Fast forward to November of 2021, where it all came crashing down against mandatory challenger George Kambosos.
After being dropped in the first round, Lopez would go on to lose a twelve-round split decision, relinquishing his belts. In the immediate aftermath, he cried robbery, and things would only get worse from there. In the months following, he would admit to contemplating suicide. He most recently came out and stated that he still hasn’t accepted the defeat to Kambosos, which he described as a scheme.
LOPEZ RECEIVES ADVICE FROM GARCIA!
Ryan “King Ry” Garcia (21-0, 18KOs) has had his fair share of shaky moments dealing with the pressures of being a fighter in the spotlight. He offered some words of advice to his fellow fighter.
“I would not do media right now. I would be honest with yourself and be aware of things […] Just really look at yourself in the mirror and be honest. ‘Let me just take a step back,’ because it’s really hard in those difficult times not to lash out because you’re so emotional and you’re hurt. But if you can take your time, you’ll grow. You’ll grow as a person. I hope the best for him. I really do. “
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By: Jerrell Fletcher
