On August 22 in Las Vegas, Teofimo Lopez will have the opportunity to redeem himself after the worst defeat of his career. The American fighter of Honduran descent will take on WBA welterweight world champion Rolando Romero as he looks to capture a world title in the third weight class of his career. While most of the boxing world believes that six months ago Teofimo lost his crown simply because Shakur Stevenson proved to be the superior fighter, his father sees things very differently.
Teofimo Lopez Sr., who also serves as his son’s trainer, believes that neither the tactical game plan nor the technical skills displayed by the two fighters were the decisive factors behind the outcome of the bout. Here’s what he told Fight Hub TV:
“It was more mental. It had to do a lot with how they don’t give my son credit for all the things that he’s done. Not putting him on the pound-for-pound list, you can say he was two-time undisputed, and then you don’t put my son on the pound-for-pound list. That hurts a boxer mentally. My son takes that personal. He gave the fight to Shakur. That wasn’t my son. That was a gift.”
“My son is a slick boxer. He didn’t slip a jab. My son doesn’t get hit with the same punch twice or three times. He got hit with that jab all night. This is not a race, this is a marathon. Let’s see what happens five years from now. Let’s see who’s on top.”
Lopez Sr. also came under heavy criticism after the fight because of the unusual advice he gave his son between rounds. While Stevenson was receiving detailed instructions about punch selection and tactical adjustments, Lopez was being told extremely generic things such as, “You have to hit him!” Comments like those sparked amusement among many boxing fans online and drew criticism from numerous figures within the sport.
Despite the backlash, Teofimo has decided to keep his faith in his father, confirming him as his trainer for what will be another crucial fight in his career.