Following his impressive victory over Josh Taylor to clinch the WBO 140-pound title last Saturday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Teofimo Lopez attributes much of his success to a strategic training adjustment made by his father and trainer, Teofimo Lopez Sr. This transformation comes after Lopez, 25, faced criticism for underwhelming performances in the ring, particularly since his defeat by George Kambosos Jr. in November 2021. Just a year prior, Lopez had been basking in the glory of triumph over three-division titlist and lightweight star, Vasiliy Lomachenko.
According to Lopez, his father discerned that the tactic that proved effective against Lomachenko—releasing a barrage of punches—wasn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. This revelation led Lopez to reconnect with his natural aptitude for counterpunching in his fight against Taylor. On The Porter Way Podcast, Lopez revealed, “What helped the best was that he figured out the problem... He was looking at a sparring I did with Ugas. When I was sparring with Ugas he noticed, 'Wait, you wasn’t throwing a punch [every two seconds.]’ So that was the problem... But it doesn’t work for every other fighter.”
This crucial strategic shift allowed Lopez to regain his old form against Taylor, long viewed as the top fighter at 140. Rediscovering his rhythm, the Honduran-American began to land heavy blows on the Scotsman by the later rounds, asserting his dominance. Despite criticisms suggesting his father was a detriment to his performance, Lopez’s victorious comeback proved otherwise. Reflecting on his journey, Lopez said, “That’s why I didn’t want to leave my father because I knew there was something that we weren't connecting with but that we could fix it in due time. Just gotta have faith in it.”
Image Credit: ESPN