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Teofimo Lopez: Is his career truly at stake?
Greatness in boxing is defined in different ways. It just depends on one's view.
If you are in the Floyd Mayweather Jr. camp, careers are based on keeping the 0. Traditionalists believe greatness is centered around how many world titles in different weight classes. Then you have the camp on the side of who you fought and when you fought them.
Watching and listening to Teofimo Lopez talk at Thursday's introductory press conference to formally announce his challenge of WBA welterweight champion Rolly Romero on Saturday, August 22, live on DAZN PPV and Prime Video, you'd think Lopez was more near the end of the rainbow than near the peak of it.
"I feel great," Lopez said at the presser. “Put Up Or Shut Up”, I like that. I think we are at a point of time in my career where everything is at stake, truthfully."
Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) couldn't be further from the truth.
Yes, he lost his last fight back in January to Shakur Stevenson, losing his WBO and Ring Magazine super lightweight titles. The fight wasn't too competitive. But after rewatching the fight and looking at things in perspective, Lopez is still a household name.
One doesn't sell out Madison Square Garden without being an attraction. Being a big name helps bring people to the pay window, whether it's on PPV or at the venue. Stevenson was one half of the equation and a name in his own right.
But Lopez is the bigger name and the one the New York crowd came to see. He's fought high-caliber opponents like Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor, along with a dynamic personality that draws people in to see him win and lose.
You don't become a three-belt lightweight champion, dominate guys who were the best in their respective weight divisions in Lomachenko and Taylor, and become arguably the best guy at 140 pounds before losing to Stevenson, which is nothing to sneeze at in losing to a pound-for-pound great.
Lopez has plenty left to offer the sport regardless of the result in six weeks. Remember, he's only 28 years old, not 38. There's plenty of tread left on the tires. If he loses to Romero, things will still be fine for Lopez. He'd still be able to get big fights because fighters with name value who make money always have a spot at the head of the table.
Look at Mike Tyson near the end of his career. Tyson still fought and sold out arenas and PPVs because of the value he still had. Lopez isn't Tyson; no one is.
A win over Romero and Lopez is a three-division world champion. Big fights with Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney would be looming. But even if he loses, those fights would still be there because of who Lopez is, although they would be higher stakes if "The Takeover" wins on Aug. 22.
All Lopez has to do is worry about Rolly Romero and not worry about the future as that will take care of itself one way or another.
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