More Aggressive Teofimo Upsets Loma, Claims All 4 Lightweight Belts
By Carlos Costa
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 18 Oct 2020
Aggressive and effective Teofimo Lopez decisioned Vasiliy Lomachenko to claim all 4 Lightweight Belts Saturday night at the MGM Grand Bubble in Las Vegas.
A new star is born as the 23-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, scored one of the most impressive wins of 2020.
The win makes Lopez (16-0, 12 KO's) the youngest man to claim all 4 championship titles, a feat he pursued from the onset of actions, stalking Lomachenko with calculated aggressiveness, focusing early attacks on Loma's mid-section, a plan that worked.
Lomachenko's coldness during the early chapters of the battle allowed Teofimo to pile up enough numbers to claim the stunning win.
When Lomachenko tried to shorten Lopez's lead, he was late and ineffective as the younger “Takeover” Lopez stood his ground with speed and good boxing skills.
In the 8th episode, the former 3-division champ Lomachenko tried to take command of actions. He surely won the round, but his effort to halt the younger warrior was denied as Lopez was a faster and more skilled boxer than Loma ever thought.
Final scores were 119-109, 116-112 and 117-111, in favor of the new undisputed lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez.
Even though Lopez dominated the fight, the score of 119-109 from judge Julie Lederman (which means that Loma only won 1 round), seems totally excessive. The more measured tally of 116-112 appears to be more in sync with reality.
During the ESPN post-fight interview, Lopez said:
"I thank God. I am thankful and grateful. I have my faith for a reason. Now this feels so good.”
Asked about what thoughts went thru his mind at the sound of the bell for the 12th round and final, Lopez shared:
"I am a fighter, I had to dig-in deep. I knew he (Loma) was coming (at me) and I can't give him that (any chance). I don't know if they (the judges) had him up in the scorecards or not.
"And I love to fight. I can bang too. I don't mind to get one (punch) to give one. That is what a true champion does: to come up and find a way to win."
Then asked about the key for his victory, the new undisputed lightweight champion said:
"Honestly, I just had to keep pressure on him, keep on putting the gas on him.
“All I've got to do was to use the jab, don't give him (Loma) the opportunity to set up. And every time he did want to throw (at me), I had something ready for him, at least get something thrown (at him) to stop his momentum.
"On the top of that, he (Loma) has been in a 14-month layoff. So, I knew it would take time for him to catch up."
Now that Lopez is the unified king of the lightweight division, fans would love to see him battle against the winner of the Gervonta Davis vs Leo Santa Cruz fight, a hot rumble scheduled for October 31.
More possible opponents that Teófimo Lopez mentioned during his post-fight interview are WBC "Regular" Lightweight Champion Devin Haney, unbeaten former titlist Shakur Stevenson, and world-rank Puerto Rican Josue Vargas.
Most boxing analysts, including former champ Andre Ward, thought that Loma should prevail tonight. But that was not meant to be. At the end of the clash, “The Takeover” Teofimo Lopez was the better man.
The author boxing writer Carlos Costa can be reached at carlos512@hotmail.com and whatsapp +639184538152.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Weigh-In Results: Fundora and Conwell Ready for Golden Boy Fight Night in Oceanside
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Undefeated, rising Canadian prospect Eric Basran wins in Opening round to advance to quarterfinals of inaugural Riyadh Season/WBC Boxing Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia
Sat, 19 Apr 2025WEIGHTS FROM LONG BEACH
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Weights From Washington, PA
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Jerald Into Advances in WBC Boxing Grand Prix with Dominant Win Over Ahmad Jones
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Press Conference Notes: Keyshawn Davis Set for Homecoming Title Defense against Edwin De Los Santos at Norfolk's Scope Arena
Sat, 19 Apr 2025JAKE PAUL vs JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR / ZURDO RAMIREZ vs YUNIEL DORTICOS JUNE 28 in ANAHEIM
Sat, 19 Apr 2025June 8: Junto Nakatani-Ryosuke Nishida Bantamweight Unification Showdown Headlines Tokyo Super Card Streaming LIVE on ESPN+
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Thursday’s Action at the 2025 USA Boxing International Open Concludes
Sat, 19 Apr 2025H2O Sylve Returns to the Ring April 26th At Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta Amado Vargas Is Co-Main Live On BLK PRIME
Sat, 19 Apr 2025FM Arca bounces back, defeats IM Laohawirapap of Thailand in 6th round
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 19 Apr 2025SMITH VS. GERMAIN WEIGHTS AND RUNNING ORDER
Fri, 18 Apr 2025WBO #2 WBA #2 Mikiah Kreps on Weight in Seneca Niagara
Fri, 18 Apr 2025UFC® RETURNS TO PRUDENTIAL CENTER IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY WITH BLOCKBUSER CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER
Fri, 18 Apr 2025AMATEUR HEAVYWEIGHT SENSATION LEO ATANG SIGNS PROMOTIONAL DEAL WITH MATCHROOM BOXING
Fri, 18 Apr 2025