Teofimo Lopez Fell Short Again Of Making The Statement He Needed

Teofimo Lopez Jr retained his WBO super-lightweight world title in comfortable fashion on Saturday night, but he struggled once again to deliver the sort of performance his self-styled reputation demanded.
Lopez (21-1-0 13 KO) proved to be levels above the willing and game Steve Claggett (38-8-2 26 KO) at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida, easing to a unanimous points victory that saw the judges award the New Yorker the fight 120-108, 120-108, 119-109.
For a fighter who calls himself ‘The Takeover’ and has repeatedly stated his ambitions to be remembered among the all-time greats, it was another unspectacular bout against an opponent who should have given him the ideal opportunity to banish his erratic recent form.
When Claggett was originally announced as Lopez’s next challenger, there were more than a few groans among boxing fans. With respect to the Canadian, he is hardly the exciting name to capture the imagination, particularly in a division where far more challenging contenders were potentially available.
When a champion is faced with an unfashionable opponent, he has a responsibility – an obligation, even – to put on a show, whether that is displayed through a savage knockout or a 12-round masterclass.
Bam Brilliance Reflects Poorly On Lopez
In Lopez’s case, that responsibility was even more pressing, given his recent run of form. It’s been almost four years and six fights since the American dazzled in his lightweight unification win over Vasiliy Lomachenko. Since then, he’s been involved in more mediocre fights than entertaining ones – and the one genuinely exciting bout ended in defeat to George Kambosos Jr.
After getting booed at the end of his last fight – a sleep-inducing points win over Jamaine Ortiz – Lopez needed a statement win against Claggett to rebuild his status as a pay-per-view star. A statement win this was not.
As Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez was setting the world alight at the same time with his stunning seventh-round victory over Juan Francisco Estrada in Phoenix, it only highlighted further Lopez’s lack of fireworks against Claggett.
At least this latest Lopez fight was free to air on ESPN, although anyone with a DAZN subscription and common sense would have switched over midway through to watch Rodriguez win Estrada’s WBC super-flyweight title. That is not where Lopez wants to be. In fact, it’s the exact opposite.
‘Takeover’ Not Taking Over
Boxing is, or at least it should be, about entertainment. The biggest stars are those who can deliver the best entertainment while operating at the highest level; Canelo Alvarez, Anthony Joshua, Naoya Inoue, Jesse Rodriguez, Terence Crawford (when he actually fights); these are true prizefighters. Fighters who still draw sell-out crowds and justify pay-per-views often irrespective of opposition.
The young Lopez, the one who beat the unbeatable Lomachenko, became unified lightweight champion, and threatened to tear his way through the 135lbs division – he appeared destined for this status. Dangerous, exciting, powerful while possessing brashness and arrogance, he had all the ingredients to be this generation’s next pay-per-view star. He appeared destined to ‘Takeover’.
An arrogant boxer who backs up the talk with knockouts and statement victories against top-tier rivals? That’s a star. A boxer with the same attitude who talks of himself as the best fighter on the planet while providing little evidence in the ring? That’s delusion.
It would be especially harsh to put Lopez, a two-weight world champion, in that second category but in the six fights since beating Lomachenko, he’s provided more evidence that he is no longer in that first category.
Lopez Targets Move To Welterweight
What is evident is that his power does not carry anywhere near the same effectiveness at super-lightweight as it did at lightweight. He’s only secured one stoppage in five fights since stepping up to 140lbs and has never even looked close to stopping the rest of his opponents.
Now Lopez is talking about another climb to welterweight with the aim of becoming a three-weight world champion. If the fighters at 140 are unaffected by his power, then world champion-caliber rivals at 147 certainly will have nothing to worry about.
An opportunity could arise for Lopez at welterweight if Crawford, who holds the WBO belt as well as the WBA, decides to remain at super-welterweight following his August 3 fight against Israil Madrimov. As a WBO loyalist, Lopez could be given an immediate shot at the title, with Brian Norman Jr currently the organization’s interim champion.
If Crawford returns to 147, then that’s a fight Lopez has regularly made clear that he wants. Should Crawford grant Lopez his wish, then the Brooklyn native will deserve credit for taking on the pound-for-pound great after several years of largely mediocre opponents. Whether he could deliver a performance that recharges his star power, that’s another thing entirely.