Former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez faces firm action from governing, sanctioning bodies and his promoter over threats to kill his next opponent.
The 2020 World Boxing News has been the focus of worry over his mental state for some time now. Several quotes, posts, and interviews saw Lopez heavily scrutinized.
Accusations of racism against black fighters and analysts opened up a can of worms last month. Now, Lopez seems to have put his foot in it even further.
The whole scenario has led to some calling for authorities to assess whether Lopez is mentally fit to fight Josh Taylor on June 10.
Lopez vs Taylor will undoubtedly have more concerns heading into fight night at Madison Square Garden after “The Takeover” spoke online to Punch Drunk Boxing.
Teofimo Lopez concerns
“If I’m going to die in the ring, I went out like a champ. Boxing today is [back to] the gladiator days,” said Lopez.
“When I fought Loma, I took his heart, especially in the 12th round, when I said, ‘Come on,’ and he pulled back. [Josh] Taylor doesn’t have any heart? So what can I take from this man? His life.
“And the only way I’m going to make a statement is by doing that. I’m not sorry about that. How do I put fear in people’s eyes? Take a man’s life. I don’t care. This is the sport I’m in,” he added.
“When taking heat for previous comments about Andre Ward and Timothy Bradley, Lopez had stated: “The one thing I love about my sport is that I can kill a guy and get away with it, so it’s cool.”
“Commentators are the ones that convince everybody that someone else is winning.
“Watch the George Kambosos Jr fight without the commentators, watch my last fight [vs Sandor Martin] without the commentators, and you will see the results.
Race comments and mental state
“At the fighter meeting, I dissed [ESPN’s] Andre Ward and Timothy Bradley in front of ESPN’s production. I dissed all of them for all their affiliation and corruption that they do.
“And what happened? I put more weight on my back [and they called against me in the fight].
“When I slipped with the first knockdown they called, what did Bradley say right away? ‘He’s hurt, he’s hurt.’
“So I don’t sugarcoat it, but that is the problem. I don’t ride off that. And just to put it more on this fight.
“This is my last fight on ESPN. This is why this fight means everything. If they want the black fighters, they can keep them.”
Bob Arum must be concerned about Lopez’s direction after losing his world titles to George Kambosos Jr.
Who knows where he’ll go if he loses to Taylor in the next two weeks?
