Teofimo Lopez Returns: Has He Reached His Full Potential?

Teofimo Lopez is back in action and knows a slip-up in a return fight against a boxer a level below the opposition he’s been campaigning against recently, is one he can ill-afford.

Teofimo Lopez Returns

Often brash in interviews and not lacking in confidence about his ability, Teofimo Lopez has shown raw power and controlled boxing in his last two fights, knocking down Kambosos in defeat and also cruising through the first half of his fight against Lomachenko.

However, he also got caught against George Kambosos because he was desperate to get the knockout he promised to deliver. Kambosos was also able to counter Lopez’s work and had a read on his come-forward aggression.

Similarly, once Lomachenko kicked into gear, he also found a solution to Lopez’s commandeering jab and straight right, coming inside with a short right hook to knock the head back of Lopez and then using that as a springboard to advance forward.

That’s not to take away from the fact that he proved he belonged at the elite level stratosphere. But his rhetoric is often indicative of a self-belief that strays into a lack of introspection on the imperfections that rest on the shoulders of any boxer, no matter the strength of their talent.

Last Fight Against George Kambosos Jnr

Immediately after the fight with George Kambosos, he gave himself the win by 8 rounds, highlighting a blinkered view of a close fight. If he is to take over the 140 division, he has to accept that at 25, he hasn’t yet entered his prime.

To put that into perspective, Lomachenko only turned professional at 25. Yes, he was thrown into the top fights from the get-go but the fact remains he was still new to the pro ranks, at the very age that Lopez looks to bounce back from his first loss.

Only 5 of Lopez’s 17 fights have gone the distance and 3 of them have come in his last 4 contests. His power is his greatest attribute but it’s also prevented him from needing to devise adjustments of the ilk that would move the pendulum of a fight.

Acceptance that his development is formidable but remains at a slight deficit, is paramount to him getting back to the top of the tree.

By Harry Duffy

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