Teofimo Lopez becomes three-division champion and reveals who he wants next
On August 22, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Teofimo Lopez became a three-division champion, beating Rolly Romero by a majority decision to win the WBA welterweight title. After that victory, at the post-fight presser, Teofimo teased some potential big future fights.
Teofimo Lopez defeats Rolly Romero to win WBA title
It was a fairly quiet opening round, with Lopez (23-2, 13 KOs) being the aggressor, while Romero (17-3, 13 KOs) looked to operate on the back foot and pick his punches.
A left hook from Romero in the fifth round caused a cut by the right eye of Lopez. Rolly also landed several power punches as the round developed, but Lopez showed his strong chin and resolve to stay on his feet. Despite the success in the fifth round for Rolly, he struggled to replicate that for the remainder of the fight.
Lopez enjoyed success to the body and was the main aggressor throughout the 12 rounds. Romero did not do enough to retain his belt, and was outworked for the majority of the bout, with Lopez the deserved winner.
Teofimo Lopez teases future big fights
Talking at the post-fight press conference, Lopez spoke about options for the future:
“I think there’s rumours right now, and they’re doing well as far as announcements and everything. So, September 12, you got Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn.
“That’s the next one. We’ll see what happens there. We’ll watch. Keith Connolly also manages Conor Benn, so if Conor wins, it’s a great fight to take across the pond, and I’m rooting for it anyway.
“I’d rather wait for Devin at the end, and the only reason is to reclaim the whole situation with undisputed, not undisputed. Franchise WBC belt, and not so I think that for everybody it’s well deserved and earned. So, we’ll see what Devin does on that end. So either It’ll have to be Liam Paro next or the winner of Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn.”
The Big Fight Weekend verdict
The end goal for Teofimo Lopez appears to be Devin Haney, but “The Takeover” vs the winner of Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn is a mouth-watering prospect. Lopez has underperformed in recent fights, and while not at his best against Romero, collecting the world title will be a huge boost for the Brooklyn native.
Lopez has proven he can defeat elite fighters, with wins over Vasily Lomachenko and Josh Taylor, but can he enhance his legacy up at 147 pounds? There are plenty of big fights available, and Lopez has the attributes to compete in the 147 division.
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Ricky Carroll
Freelance Writer and Digital Marketer, spending most of his time waiting for Andy Cruz to win a world title. Also watches YouTube videos of Lennox Lewis fights on a daily basis.