After the Fight: Teofimo Lopez and Brandon Figueroa lots to be proud of

Teofimo Lopez and Brandon Figueroa dropped close losses in their boxing bouts along with their titles, but they should hold their heads high in defeat. 

Long before a single loss was toxic to a boxer’s career, it simply meant that the other guy had a better night during the no-decision era of boxing. Times have changed, and the public is much more critical of a fighter’s performance, but Teofimo Lopez and Brandon Figueroa have nothing to hang their heads about.

Both Lopez and Figueroa lost their Saturday, Nov. 27 main events, undefeated records, and titles. That’s a lot of disappointment to take on in a moment after grueling contests. Neither fighter handled their disappointment particularly well, but you can’t blame them for being irritated amid frustration, exhaustion, and anger following a hard-fought performance.

Lopez and Figueroa were shocked that they were judged as the losers in their respective matchups.  Each has a logical point to feel those emotions. One judge saw Stephen Fulton vs. Figueroa as an even fight. In Lopez’s case, one judge had him winning the battle 114-113.

They almost won, but almost doesn’t count, and neither should a single defeat.

According to oddsmakers, Figueroa vs. Fulton was close to a 50-50 fight, but Lopez vs. George Kambosos Jr. was a mismatch. That had to make the pain of defeat that much worse for Lopez, along with the fact that many viewed him as the undisputed lightweight champion of the world. (That depends on how you view the WBC’s “franchise” status.)

Lopez talked a lot of smack during the elongated build-up to his fight with Kambosos, and a brilliant article on BoxingScene.com illustrates his unbalanced state leading up to fight night.

Teofimo Lopez and Brandon Figueroa may have lost but are a few tweaks away from being amongst boxing’s best again

Boxing Scene reports that Lopez’s emotions ranged from being complimentary, to dispirited, to vengeful. By their description, he clearly wasn’t in a good place mentally or emotionally. He mentioned money and relationship problems, according to Boxing Scene.

In the past, Lopez’s emotions have impacted his performance in the ring, at least anecdotally from the outside looking in. He looked far from his best against Masayoshi Nakatani in 2019 but still won via unanimous decision. ESPN reported a rift between his family and his wife around that time.

It’s not a far reach to assume that his personal problems affected his boxing performance against Nakatani or Kambosos. Despite their physical gifts, boxers are just as mortal as the rest of us. Hopefully, Lopez looks at this loss as a teachable moment and tries to find a solution to his problems outside of the ring, so they don’t overcome him when he’s in it.

Figueroa seemed emphatic about a rematch with Fulton when originally asked by Showtime’s Jim Gray, but he backed off that comment when he voiced his intent to move up to featherweight. He can feel like he won, but the judges saw enough to view Fulton as the winner.

Figueroa is young and talented but has flaws as a boxer. His aggressive pressure style is pleasing to the eye but leaves him vulnerable. According to CompuBox, Figueroa had the edge in total connects but also threw 334 more punches. Fulton was more economical, yet landed 37.1 percent of his punches, which bettered Figueroa’s 29.6 percent.

When Figueroa looks back at the bout in retrospect, he might realize that he needs to find more of a middle ground between his pressure and defense. A boxer can only take so many shots before their health gives way.

Lopez and Figueroa have different imperfections that contributed to their losses, but they both showed their gifts and heart in the face of defeat. Both are a change or two away from being at the height of their powers. They need to drown out the negative voices and focus internally on remedying their obstacles in the ring and life.