Takeover! David McWaters Fighter, Teofimo Lopez, Potential Real Combat Media Boxer of the Year

Editorial By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

 “We’re going to Disney World!” said Teofimo Lopez. David McWaters fighter Teofimo Lopez, who holds the undisputed World Lightweight championship, and the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Organization and Ring Magazine belts. Lopez is the potential Real Combat Media ‘Fighter of the Year’ for 2020. Pound for pound, Lopez is the best lightweight in the world at age 23, and is on track to become the next Canelo Alvarez the new generation of boxers ahs arrived.

Lopez earns the critical distinction of now being boxing’s best in a sports year marred by ther world wide COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, by rising from obscurity to thoroughly expose the overhyped Vasyl Lomachenko. Lopez, 16-0 with 12 knockouts, Brooklyn, New York by way of Jonesboro, Arkansas, decisioned Lomachenko at The Bubble, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 17, 2020, by finding punch angles.



Lomachenko threw only around fifty something punches in the first six rounds of the fight,

allowing Lopez, who threw 659 punches over 12 rounds to Lomachenko’s 321 punches overall, to win the bout on the scorecards early. Although Lomanchenko was more accurate, Lopez landed 183 punches to Lomachenko’s 141, and Lopez landed 178 power shots to Lomachenko’s 78. The twelfth and final round was all Lopez. Promoter Bob Arum did not like Julie Lederman’s 119-109 scorecard. The scorecards were really meaningless here. Lopez won. Lomachenko lost. Judge Steve Weisfeld had it 117-111, which appeared correct. Lomachenko showed little offensively for the first half of the bout, and Lopez appeared to be riding a bicycle. A rematch would be a miserable excuse to sell tickets.



When Arum had Lomachenko fight gUillermo Rigondeaux by moving Rigondeaux up several weight classes, Lomachenko’s win proved nothing (Rigondeaux currently holds a share the world bantamweight title) except Lomachenko had not been matched against quality opponents like Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz. Edwin Valero and Manny Pacquiao Lomachenko is not, and not the template roadmap is there on how to outwork and outbox Lomachenko technically. Lopez is a superb technical boxer, a master craftsman who basically will fight anybody now. The question is, who will fight him? Perhaps the winner of Davis versus Santa Cruz could fight Lopez in a superfight. Lopez is young, strong, sharp, confident, experienced, and a fast starter out of the chute. Lomachenko’s mistake was there were no rounds for giveaway against a new era Roberto Duran at 135 pounds. Few fighters today can match the offensive output of Lopez, who still needs to achieve greater accuracy to match his punch count volume. Still, overall, Lopez gets an A+.

 

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Robert Brizel - Head Boxing Correspondent
Robert Brizel - Head Boxing Correspondent
Robert is the Head Boxing Correspondent for Real Combat Media Boxing since 2013. Robert is also a photographer and ringside reporter for the RCM Tri State region which includes NJ, NY and PA. Robert conducts exclusive interviews, provides historical boxing articles and provides editorial ringside coverage of major boxing events. You can contact or follow Robert on Facebook and by email at [email protected].