After the fight: Teofimo Lopez is a p4p talent, emotional response after win

Teofimo Lopez proved that he’s a pound-for-pound talent after defeating one of boxing’s most talented fighters. He deserves and wants respect. 

Teofimo Lopez is the undisputed lightweight champion of the world at the young age of 23 after defeating the legendary Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday, Oct. 17. He defied the odds and needs to be lauded for his accomplishment.

Lopez came into the fight, incredibly confident.

“Come Oct. 17, I can’t wait to put hands on this man,” said Lopez a week earlier during a press conference.

Lopez enacted his words and took the fight to Lomachenko. He also fought with a chip on his shoulder, which came through loud and clear after the fight.

Ahead of the most anticipated boxing contest of 2020, numerous narratives hovered amongst fans and pundits. Many thought Lopez vs. Lomachenko would be reminiscent of the 2013 bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Canelo Alvarez.

It made sense. Lopez was a world champion, but defeating Richard Commey and Diego Magdaleno wasn’t enough to anoint him as the next great lightweight.

Lomachenko was a proven quantity. Winning a world title in his third professional fight along with his fabled amateur record of 396-1 and two Olympic gold medals made him a mythic figure. However, Lopez broke the Mayweather-Canelo archetype because his skill and ability were grossly underestimated.

Alvarez needed a schooling at the hands of Mayweather to transform into the boxer he is today. Lopez proved that he was already fully developed into one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. He just needed the right opponent to prove it against. Lomachenko made the perfect candidate.

People love a winner. Lopez is being showered with love after his performance, and he deserves tremendous praise. At the same time, online critics make statements detracting from Lomachenko’s greatness. They’re calling him overrated and trying to pretend like he wasn’t that good.

That’s false.

Lomachenko was, and still might be, one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. It just so happens that Lopez is better.

Why do people need to detract from Lomachenko’s accomplishments after a loss? It doesn’t just belittle his legacy. It also casts an unwarranted shadow over Lopez’s victory. It’s flawed logic that needs to be called out and extinguished.

During the fight, Lopez showed his ring I.Q. by staying patient and investing punches to Lomachenko’s body. Lomachenko headhunted and waited until the second half of the fight to turn on his offensive.

Even when it looked like Lopez was wilting in the 11th round, Lopez was setting a trap. He wanted Lomachenko to expend energy. Lopez let Lomachenko think that he was ready to go, then flipped the script by winning round 12 with a spirited counter-attack. Again, Lopez targeted Lomachenko’s body, which zapped his energy.

Teofimo Lopez fought an intelligent fight against Vasiliy Lomachenko and showed the depth of his boxing intelligence

Lopez shared his gameplan with FanSided during the post-fight press conference.

“What I did was I baited him in to get that,” Lopez told FanSided. “He tried to take me to the deep waters, and what I did was I reversed it on him by letting him tee off. Letting him get comfortable, but let him get tired. Hearing him huff and huff, Iittle by little, I started realizing he was gassing out.”

Smart.

Lopez also unveiled that he was studying Loachenko’s demeanor in the corner between rounds. He noticed that Lomachenko was visibly exasperated going into the 12th, which is why he jumped on him and closed the fight like the undisputed champion he is now.

Only Lopez and the few boxers like him in history who have been great enough to reach undisputed status know the range of emotions felt after reaching a goal that seemed nearly impossible. All the obstacles, doubts, and pain are overcome in an instant but not forgotten.

Lopez showed that towards the end of the post-fight press conference.

“I do all that I can. Nobody ever gives me my fair share,” said Lopez. “When is it going to be enough for y’all?”

Lopez continued into an unforeseen speech about the wrongs that have been done to him during his time as a boxer. His words seemed unprovoked, but his emotions bubbled to the surface. Lopez revealed pain that had been stored away into his subconscious that came pouring out to in front of the media.

He carried the past scars of being shafted by the USA boxing team and not being given a spot on the 2016 Olympic team despite winning the U.S. trials. Lopez also implied that media outlets criticized him throughout his career before stating he was “tired of this s**t” and walking off the stage.

It must be daunting to try to carry on normally when the world is talking about you, and not always in the best terms. Lopez gave a visceral release to the mental baggage that has weighed on him for some time. He wears the crown now and had to relieve some stress if he wants to wear it to the best of his ability.

Lopez is a great champion, but athletes are people too and hurt emotionally like everybody else. He showed his hurt for a moment following his greatest victory, but hopefully, Lopez realizes that he has accomplished an amazing feat. That should give him some solace from the trauma of other’s words and actions.

Lopez is an undisputed champion. He beat one of the world’s best boxers and should be recognized as one of the sport’s greatest himself. Lopez wears his heart on his sleeve, and it makes him even more likable and relatable. It will be exciting to see his future continue to blossom.