Teofimo Lopez Changes Tactics To Land Boots Ennis Bout
As many hit and hollering dogs do, WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez (21-1, 13 KO’s) is apparently trying to mend his ways. Previously, when seeking to solicit a fight with two-division undisputed champion Terence Crawford and WBA 135-pound champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Lopez dove into hot waters. He pulled this off by using classic and traditionally racial terms to rile up his would-be opponents. The Takeover said it was business, yet the backlash he received was personal. Taking heed to these shifting sands, Lopez has adopted a much more politically correct and straight laced persona when challenging welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
The Takeover recently raised eyebrows when he called out Ennis. Outside of the callout itself, the tone of the message was glaring. Instead of going at his neck, or feigning any notion of aggression at all, The Takeover was humble as a kid on Christmas Eve. The once offensive slurs were swapped out for praise and well-wishing.
FOOL ME ONCE…
Similar to Teofimo Lopez, boxing maverick Ryan Garcia has also experienced some social turbulence for racial remarks. Garcia however, went to vile, drunken lengths that The Takeover never approached. Nevertheless, again similar to Garcia, Lopez has never truly apologized for his comments or the ill-feelings that they caused. Instead, he’s essentially implied that because he grew up in the vicinity of black people he has a free license to say what he wants.
Given this tone deaf stance, it’s hard to believe that he is remorseful or has learned anything. In all probability, it’s only a matter of time before Lopez is trying to justify some more offensive commentary. In the meantime, stay tuned to 3Kings Boxing for all things boxing related!
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