Teofimo Lopez Rumored To Be Facing Steve Claggett Next
If the current industry rumblings turn out to be true, WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo “The Takeover “ Lopez (20-1, 13 KO’s) will face Canadian Steve “The Dragon” Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KO’s). Yet, it should be noted that Claggett, ranked #7 (WBC), #13 (WBO) and #15 (IBF), is already on the books to dance with Mike Ohan Jr. on April 11. Naturally, this fight announcement will take many casual fans who are unfamiliar with who Claggett is by surprise.
During his last tour of duty, Lopez picked up a very controversial victory over rival Jamaine Ortiz Jr.. As 3Kings Boxing previously reported, The Takeover was thoroughly out-boxed throughout the night but still managed to walk away with a comfortable unanimous decision win. This was very reminiscent of when Lopez was gifted another hand-wrapped decision win over Sandor Martin. Perhaps this apparent steep drop in level of competition is indicative of some doubt within Team Lopez.
SHIFTING WINDS OF FORTUNE
Instead of Claggett, many would have enjoyed seeing The Takeover face Jamaine Ortiz once again to set the record straight. Or, many fans have called for a showdown between Lopez and #1 (WBO), #5 (IBF) and #8 (WBC) ranked boxer Arnold Barboza Jr. (29-0, 11 KO’s). To his credit, Barboza Jr. has remained in heated pursuit of Lopez for the past couple of years. There is no doubt that Lopez must perform expertly in this upcoming duel.
For his part, the high-volume fighter will look to score, by far, his biggest professional victory. Despite suffering a number of losses during his career, The Dragon has not had to endure defeat in just under three years. In fact, the Canadian body snatcher is currently riding a nine-fight win streak and coming off a second-round stoppage of Marcos Gonzalez Barraza this past January 25. So, first let’s confirm that this news is actually legit! Then we’ll have to see if Teofimo Lopez can earnestly defeat The Dragon or if he needs a bit more assistance from the judges at hand.
