Las Vegas, NV: In the late hours of Saturday night, history was made. 23-year-old Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) beat arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter of this generation and secured all four major sanctioning bodies’ belts, as he became the youngest fighter to ever be an undisputed champion in boxing. This designation is true not only of the Lightweight Division, but throughout all divisions in the sport going back to the beginning of the four belt era. Lopez fought a smart fight from the outset and appeared to catch the right opponent at the right time.
Vasyl Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) a two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-division champion, was widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world as of Saturday night. However, he had never been on a break from boxing for this length of time. It has been over fourteen months since Lomachenko dispatched British champion, Luke Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) over twelve rounds during their unification bout in London. Vasiliy was at quite a disadvantage Saturday night, as Lopez had clear age, height, reach, and weight advantages. Factor in Teofimo’s greater energy and punching power, and it would appear Lomachenko had very little chance to win this mismatch.
Make no mistake, though, Teofimo Lopez stuck with his gameplan and executed it thoroughly. Rather than simply looking for that knockout punch, Lopez outboxed the southpaw, cutting off the ring with every opportunity. Teo was laser-focused and nearly flawless during the bout. He looked strong, well-hydrated, and very prepared knowing just what was on the line. Congratulations to him for getting this enormous win and cementing himself in the archives of boxing history.
Where does he go from here? It’s worth noting that Lomachenko’s WBC designation was considered a “franchise” championship. Although Vasiliy legitimately won a WBC strap by beating Campbell last year, he failed to defend it against the body’s number one contender. So, the WBC elevated Lomachenko to its “franchise” champion, while simultaneously elevating its number one contender and interim champion, Devin Haney (24-0, 15 KOs), to its regular champion. Many have considered Haney – not Lomachenko – the current WBC champion. So, Lopez beat Lomachenko. That part is clear. No argument. No controversy. The best thing he can do now is to fight Haney to put to rest the question mark that currently looms over him regarding whether or not Lopez is truly the undisputed champion at 135.
-Mike Feinberg / TFN Reporter
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