Tag: Lomachenko vs. Lopez

Teofimo Lopez Jr. has always been ahead of the curve.

He was 6 or 7 when he first walked into a Brooklyn gym with his father. In a matter of minutes working with a coach, he said, he learned two or three combinations that might take an average child weeks or even months to master. He was a natural.

As a pro he fought in his first scheduled 10-rounder in only his 10^th fight and was a unified world titleholder in his 15^th.

And now, in only his 16^th outing, he is scheduled to face Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound – Vasiliy Lomachenko – for the undisputed lightweight championship and the right to call himself true star.

“I think Top Rank (his promoter) definitely had a different route planned for me,” Lopez told Boxing Junkie. “I changed that route quickly. I told them, ‘Listen man, you gotta bump up my opposition. This is too easy for me.

“You could see that my ring IQ was very high. I know this business a little bit.”

All that doesn’t mean Lopez’s rise from child prodigy to one of the hottest fighters in the world was entirely smooth.

Lopez had issues as an adolescent. He struggled with grades at one point. He admitted that he experimented with “weed” and drinking. And, like most young people, he was susceptible to whatever bad elements surrounded him.

Teofimo Lopez Sr., his father, trainer and mentor, decided at a critical time to take action. He told his son that he would homeschool him if he didn’t get his act together. Not long afterward he was pulled from school.

That and his dedication to boxing, he said, “Probably saved my life.”

“I have to respect that,” the younger Lopez said. “He really helped me. I learned a lot in home schooling. I learned what I needed to do, what I needed for myself. And I think it allowed me to be more in tuned with boxing.

“I was 16 or something. I easily could’ve been doing God knows what.”

Lopez was doing boxing. And he thrived. He was one of the top amateurs in the USA Boxing system as the 2016 Olympics approached, ultimately winning the U.S. Olympic Trials at lightweight.

However, U.S. officials gave another in the division, Carlos Balderas, a spot on the team because of his success in the World Series of Boxing. Thus, Lopez fought for the country of his father – Honduras – in the Rio Games and was eliminated by Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha 3-0 in the first round.

Lopez still has disappointment in his voice when he discusses his Olympic experience.

“It was tough,” he said. “Winning the Olympic Trials and not representing your country. They take this other guy because of x, y, z. Tough. I represented another country, my bloodline, which is Honduras.

“It’s tough to face a big country like France when you’re representing Honduras. Everything just went wrong. I got robbed. It was crazy.”

Lopez rebounded from the setback like a champion, shooting up the lightweight ladder with a special blend of skill, speed, power and moxie.

He put Mason Menard away in 44 seconds in December 2018. He stopped two-time title challenger Diego Magdaleno in seven in April of last year. He KO’d Edis Tatli in five two months later. And he nearly shut out previously unbeaten Mayaoshi Nakatani the following July to earn a shot at Richard Commey’s 135-world title in December.

The hard-punching Ghanaian lasted a total of 4 minutes, 13 seconds. Just like that, Lopez was a world champion at 22 years old. Ahead of the curve.

“That’s why I say I’m very grateful,” said Lopez, referring to his early success. “God has definitely put me on the right path. Now is my time to showcase everything I have. I want to prove I’m best there is.”

That opportunity – or certainly something along those lines – comes on Oct. 17 inside the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas.

The elder Lopez has been calling out Lomachenko for a few years, far earlier than his son’s accomplishments might’ve suggested was appropriate. It was as if he knew something the rest of us didn’t.

And, finally, Lopez built the kind of reputation with his series of sensational victories that was attractive to both Lomachenko — who was hungry for a big fight — and the fans, who are obviously fascinated with the unusually intriguing matchup.

So here we are: Hall of Fame-bound master boxer vs. gifted, brash youngster for all the lightweight marbles.

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) isn’t Oumiha. He isn’t Menard, Magdaleno, Tatli, Nakatani or Commey. The two-time Olympic champion and three-division professional titleholder is a fine-tuned boxing wizard – without question one of most-skilled boxers of his generation — who has made a fool out of a number of good opponentss.

Lopez, confident, arguably cocky, isn’t fazed.

Some have suggested that Lomachenko has begun to slip at least somewhat at 32 years old. They point to harder-than-expected victories over Jorge Linares and Luke Campbell as evidence, although he stopped Linares in 10 rounds and defeated Campbell by a wide decision.

And Lopez says he has something else going for him: size. Lomachenko started his career at 126; Lopez has fought at 135 or above from the start.

“I believe that everybody has his time. His time has come to an end,” Lopez said. “And I believe 135 is too big for him. I heard he recently weighed only five, six pounds over [the limit]. That’s nothing in the industry we’re in.

“I just believe that time is definitely ticking really quick for him.”

Lomachenko has asked a reasonable question about Lopez: Who has he beaten? Lopez’s aforementioned opponents are all solid professionals but, no question about it, the Ukrainian veteran represents a significant step up for the young star.

Lopez acknowledged that fact but, at the same time, provided a twist in perspective that reveals his unusual confidence.

“It’s not about who you’ve beaten,” he said, “it’s about who you’re about to beat.”

Ahead of the curve?

[lawrence-related id=13770,13694,13650,13446]

Teofimo Lopez Jr. has always been ahead of the curve.

He was 6 or 7 when he first walked into a Brooklyn gym with his father. In a matter of minutes working with a coach, he said, he learned two or three combinations that might take an average child weeks or even months to master. He was a natural.

As a pro he fought in his first scheduled 10-rounder in only his 10^th fight and was a unified world titleholder in his 15^th.

And now, in only his 16^th outing, he is scheduled to face Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound – Vasiliy Lomachenko – for the undisputed lightweight championship and the right to call himself true star.

“I think Top Rank (his promoter) definitely had a different route planned for me,” Lopez told Boxing Junkie. “I changed that route quickly. I told them, ‘Listen man, you gotta bump up my opposition. This is too easy for me.

“You could see that my ring IQ was very high. I know this business a little bit.”

All that doesn’t mean Lopez’s rise from child prodigy to one of the hottest fighters in the world was entirely smooth.

Lopez had issues as an adolescent. He struggled with grades at one point. He admitted that he experimented with “weed” and drinking. And, like most young people, he was susceptible to whatever bad elements surrounded him.

Teofimo Lopez Sr., his father, trainer and mentor, decided at a critical time to take action. He told his son that he would homeschool him if he didn’t get his act together. Not long afterward he was pulled from school.

That and his dedication to boxing, he said, “Probably saved my life.”

“I have to respect that,” the younger Lopez said. “He really helped me. I learned a lot in home schooling. I learned what I needed to do, what I needed for myself. And I think it allowed me to be more in tuned with boxing.

“I was 16 or something. I easily could’ve been doing God knows what.”

Lopez was doing boxing. And he thrived. He was one of the top amateurs in the USA Boxing system as the 2016 Olympics approached, ultimately winning the U.S. Olympic Trials at lightweight.

However, U.S. officials gave another in the division, Carlos Balderas, a spot on the team because of his success in the World Series of Boxing. Thus, Lopez fought for the country of his father – Honduras – in the Rio Games and was eliminated by Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha 3-0 in the first round.

Lopez still has disappointment in his voice when he discusses his Olympic experience.

“It was tough,” he said. “Winning the Olympic Trials and not representing your country. They take this other guy because of x, y, z. Tough. I represented another country, my bloodline, which is Honduras.

“It’s tough to face a big country like France when you’re representing Honduras. Everything just went wrong. I got robbed. It was crazy.”

Lopez rebounded from the setback like a champion, shooting up the lightweight ladder with a special blend of skill, speed, power and moxie.

He put Mason Menard away in 44 seconds in December 2018. He stopped two-time title challenger Diego Magdaleno in seven in April of last year. He KO’d Edis Tatli in five two months later. And he nearly shut out previously unbeaten Mayaoshi Nakatani the following July to earn a shot at Richard Commey’s 135-world title in December.

The hard-punching Ghanaian lasted a total of 4 minutes, 13 seconds. Just like that, Lopez was a world champion at 22 years old. Ahead of the curve.

“That’s why I say I’m very grateful,” said Lopez, referring to his early success. “God has definitely put me on the right path. Now is my time to showcase everything I have. I want to prove I’m best there is.”

That opportunity – or certainly something along those lines – comes on Oct. 17 inside the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas.

The elder Lopez has been calling out Lomachenko for a few years, far earlier than his son’s accomplishments might’ve suggested was appropriate. It was as if he knew something the rest of us didn’t.

And, finally, Lopez built the kind of reputation with his series of sensational victories that was attractive to both Lomachenko — who was hungry for a big fight — and the fans, who are obviously fascinated with the unusually intriguing matchup.

So here we are: Hall of Fame-bound master boxer vs. gifted, brash youngster for all the lightweight marbles.

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) isn’t Oumiha. He isn’t Menard, Magdaleno, Tatli, Nakatani or Commey. The two-time Olympic champion and three-division professional titleholder is a fine-tuned boxing wizard – without question one of most-skilled boxers of his generation — who has made a fool out of a number of good opponentss.

Lopez, confident, arguably cocky, isn’t fazed.

Some have suggested that Lomachenko has begun to slip at least somewhat at 32 years old. They point to harder-than-expected victories over Jorge Linares and Luke Campbell as evidence, although he stopped Linares in 10 rounds and defeated Campbell by a wide decision.

And Lopez says he has something else going for him: size. Lomachenko started his career at 126; Lopez has fought at 135 or above from the start.

“I believe that everybody has his time. His time has come to an end,” Lopez said. “And I believe 135 is too big for him. I heard he recently weighed only five, six pounds over [the limit]. That’s nothing in the industry we’re in.

“I just believe that time is definitely ticking really quick for him.”

Lomachenko has asked a reasonable question about Lopez: Who has he beaten? Lopez’s aforementioned opponents are all solid professionals but, no question about it, the Ukrainian veteran represents a significant step up for the young star.

Lopez acknowledged that fact but, at the same time, provided a twist in perspective that reveals his unusual confidence.

“It’s not about who you’ve beaten,” he said, “it’s about who you’re about to beat.”

Ahead of the curve?

[lawrence-related id=13770,13694,13650,13446]