Back on the summit of the mountain, Teofimo Lopez Jr. Lopez (19-1) defeated Josh Taylor (19-1) by unanimous decision (115-113 twice, 117-111) to capture the WBO and The Ring light welterweight titles, less than six months after a split decision victory over Sandor Martin left him doubting himself.
He spoke a big game before the fight, even saying that he planned to “kill” Taylor in the ring (for which he later apologized after the fight), but he followed it up by displaying the strength and swagger that made him a phenomenon in the lightweight category for several years.
After a sluggish opening, Lopez made Taylor pay for his prolonged absence from the sport by dominating the fight from the fourth-round forward. Lopez outpunched the former champion 159-82 on the evening. Taylor was visibly spooked by Lopez’s powerful shot that ended the fourth, and after that, it was game over.
At Madison Square Garden, a boisterous crowd roared for the Brooklyn native to win, getting rowdier with each punch, slip, and shimmy the 25-year-old superstar managed to execute. Taylor, 32, entered Saturday night unbeaten and had successfully defended his titles ten times over the previous six years, but he appeared jaded and rusty because he hadn’t competed since February 26, 2022.
As the contest went on, Lopez continued to exhibit traits of the fighter who, after defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko to earn the WBA, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles a few years ago, danced on Taylor throughout the remainder of the contest.
After suffering his first professional defeat against George Kambosos Jr. in 2021 and losing his lightweight belts, it appeared that some of that confidence had been lost. As he seeks to dominate the 140-pound category for the foreseeable future, this victory may mark the beginning of a new era for the superstar.
