Teofimo Lopez looks to ‘Take-Over’ Heisman Night in NYC

Teofimo Lopez wants to ‘Take-Over’ Heisman Night in NYC  as he looks to overcome a mountain of adversity from the past twelve months.

New York City will be filled with young talent on Saturday as not only will it host this year’s Heisman award ceremony and a stacked card at the Mecca of Boxing, the Madison Square Garden. Top Rank will be hosting a fight card on a night that has become somewhat of a tradition, with super lightweight contender Teofimo Lopez (17-1). Lopez looks to take a step forward in the direction of a world title fight as he faces the tough veteran Sandor Martin (40-2). The card will be shown live on ESPN with all of Top Rank’s blue-chip prospects looking to capture the attention of purists and casuals alike.

Lopez is one of the most polarizing fighters on the Top Rank roster. His rise to the top came fast, and his father, “Jr,” was right there, guiding his son to overcome each challenge as it presented itself. After capturing the hearts and minds of fight fans, Lopez took on Vasyl Lomachenko (17-2) in October 2020, which was considered a “bubble show” as it was during the pandemic. This fight showed the world Lopez was on the level he said he was. Lomachenko was avoided by many, but Lopez told everyone who would listen that it was his time; he was the future and was going to “take over.” That’s precisely what happened, and Lopez became the undisputed lightweight champion of the world.

When accomplishing something so significant against a top-tier opponent, there is a certain level of celebration that comes after, which includes media calls, guest appearances, and things that will help raise your profile even more. This, of course, has a shelf life and isn’t meant to last too long, as there is always the next opponent out there. Regardless, Lopez was making his rounds, but with this thing called success, there is no manual or a “how-to.” You go into it head-on, and you hope that you have people around you to help you navigate the obstacles along the way.

Teofimo Lopez will look to steal the show on Saturday, live on ESPN against Sandor Martin.

After coming off the high of the win, things started to crumble within his personal life, which is hard for a guy in his early 20s. There were some financial issues, problems with his wife, who had just given birth to their son, and health concerns that would later become more of a wake-up call than a scare. Now comes November 27, 2021, and Lopez is defending his title against George Kambosos Jr. (20-2). This is when everything fell apart, and that night, Lopez lost all of his titles but more importantly, he could have died from injuries sustained before and during the fight. But no one wants to hear that because everyone on social media is a certified doctor and can tell when someone’s lying. If you read that with sarcasm, then you should, as things on social media can often go in the direction of ridiculousness.

After taking some much-needed time off, Lopez returned to the ring in August and defeated Pedro Campa (34-2-1) in a fight meant to get Lopez’s confidence back. Wasting no time, Lopez was able to secure a fight on Heisman night, and things seem to be back on track. Part of the promotion for the fight was the release of a YouTube documentary called “Resilient,” where Lopez captures a behind-the-scenes look at his comeback. When watching the documentary after it was filmed, what did Lopez learn about himself after seeing the playback?

“That’s a great question. Honestly, no one has yet to ask that. I appreciate these new questions. What I learned from myself is that I need to love myself more. You know what I mean? That’s my problem. I try to please everybody else because I’m a giver. There are two types of people in this world: givers and takers. Takers eat better, but givers sleep better. I’m a giver man. So I like to give the fans what they want to see: big fights. However, by doing that, you end up getting distracted. You’re taking care of everybody else in the household, in your personal life, and in your career that you forget that you need to take care of yourself too. You know, that’s what it’s all about. I love it man. I’m very grateful, and I think what I learned is that I need to just give myself more props. I literally risked my life to please everybody. And what did I get? Not a single thanks,” said the 25-year-old Lopez.

Lopez’s documentary is just the start of what is going to be a series of videos capturing the life of Lopez both in and out of the ring. Lopez told FanSided, “We’re working on it right now. Actually, as we speak, we’re filming it. This is all about selling a different trend, a different movement. It’s not about the money. I’m trying to relay messages out there to the youth of the new generation. Episode two will be coming out right after my fight, and then, little by little, we’ll add more parts between the camps. I really want people to touch and feel who I am. I don’t fake this. This is who I am. I was born this way. Look, I could get my teeth fixed tomorrow, and I don’t, crooked smile and all. God loves you the way you are. He made us the way we are for a reason, and that’s what I’m trying to bring out. That’s the message.”

A lot is going on in the life of Lopez, and when comparing the last year to this year, he feels that his mindset is different and that he “leveled up.” A certain degree of maturity can come with life experiences, and it looks as though Lopez has accepted his failures so that he can move past them. That’s a hard thing to do, and in a sport where the mindset is everything, this could very well be the moment that Lopez swings the momentum back in his favor. Lopez told FanSided, “That’s the difference between this year and last year. I thank God. Thank you for those failures because those failures made me achieve more and made me push harder. It also made me realize I need to be more successful in this part. You learn more from your failures than you do your successes.”

Shifting the focus back to the task at hand, Martin is a tricky veteran who replaced Lopez’s original opponent Jose Pedraza (29-4-1). Some will say the Martin fight is much more difficult than Pedraza, so Lopez may have his hands full on Saturday night. But Lopez admitted that Martin was the original opponent requested, and when the Pedraza fight fell out, it was a no-brainer to revisit Martin, which eventually got made. But of course, when discussing his opponent, he couldn’t help but address some of those other names in the division.

Lopez told FanSided, “In all honesty, I don’t want to fight (Arnold) Barbosa because there’s no meat there. There’s no food for me to eat. The same thing goes for Pedraza, who had a draw against Richard Comey. But you know what? At least Pedraza is willing to fight anybody; he doesn’t care. He just wants to take care of his kids and his family at this point. You know what I’m saying? But then he got sick due to non-COVID symptoms. So this guy (Martin) has been in the gym for about six weeks. I’m saying this is not a three-week notice for him. Top Rank had to pay him a little bit more to bring him in, but it’s okay, as we got the guy we wanted first. It’s a WBC final eliminator, so the winner faces Regis Prograis. As long as they don’t put freakin Jose Ramirez in it, who doesn’t even deserve to be in that spot right now, but that’s a WBC move with Mexico. We understand, however, it is about the fight fans and what they really want to see, and that’s Teofimo fighting the best. That’s what we’re trying to bring into 2023.”

Lopez is oozing with confidence coming into this fight, but recently, he was in NY and was reminded about the events that occurred last year around this time. Returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak, he was invited to the financial district in New York City on a day called “Market Mondays.” Funny enough, he ran into Boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather Jr (50-0) and ended up being in the same room together. Lopez looks at this as acknowledging a chapter in his life while turning the page to start a new one that looks as promising as ever.

This fight for Lopez means much more than a digit on his BoxRec page. It’s him getting another opportunity to make things right both personally and professionally. Lopez looks to leave a legacy that fans will remember for years to come but, more importantly, by his son. While beaming with light and motivation, Lopez told FanSided, “Sky’s the limit. You guys thought the Lomachenko fight was the best version of me? You have not seen anything yet. So yes, tune in on December 10, live on ESPN, and get your tickets!