Danny Garcia Declined at 147; Will Teofimo Lopez See the Same at 140?
In the not so distant past, Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez (17-1, 13 KO’s) was the most belt-carrying fighter in the lightweight division. He had first gained a great deal of attention clobbering lesser competition into lifeless piles of flesh on ESPN. The Takeover first put true respect on his name when ran over reputable puncher Richard Commey and snatched up his IBF title. Lopez continued to impress when he would topple high caliber boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko. Ironically enough, the troublesome times for Lopez arguably began in that bout with Loma.
Sure, The Takeover won the first half big, but the Ukrainian came on strong in the later rounds. In fact, during the eleventh round, Teofimo Lopez looked very close to being stopped. Obviously, Lopez weathered the storm and went on to win by unanimous decision. Sadly for Team Lopez though, he would lose his very next match to George Kambosos. Although the latest talking point surrounds Teofimo Lopez’s asthma problem, initially both The Takeover and his father and chief second, Teofimo Lopez Sr., cried from the high heavens that the weight cut was the problem. So, regarding that initial claims around weight, is that really the case?
BIT IT, BUT CAN YOU CHEW IT?!
Already in his first match in the newly elevated division Lopez has already begun looking a lot more pedestrian. His unranked and unheralded opponent, Pedro Campa, ate dozens of shots that were putting guys on their back at 135. This could be a troubling foreshadowing for the future. Much of this mirrors the story of two-division champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (37-3, 21 KO’s). When down at super lightweight, Swift was a titan toting a leviathan of a left hook. While he was never undisputed, Garcia did unify and, more importantly, Swift fought all the big names. In fact, Garcia still has one of the best resumes in the sport.
More than just fighting all the monsters at 140, he fought them and won. Yet, the moment Garcia went to welterweight, the brakes were slammed on his success with top tier opponents. When Swift took on the likes of well-weathered and amply chewed on Robert Guerrero or aging, feather-fisted Paul Malignaggi, he had success. When faced with the Shawn Porters, Keith Thurmans and Errol Spence Jrs of the division, Swift comes up woefully short.
With his unimpressive last duel, Lopez appears dangerously close to replicating Danny Garcia’s sharp decline in a new division. This is why who Lopez next fights, and how he looks is of paramount importance. For his sake, The Takeover needs to pick a live dog and look good! Time will tell how it all plays out, but either way, 3Kings Boxing will be here to report the news.
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By: Bakari Simpson
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