Teofimo Lopez has hinted at a possible move up to 147 pounds, two weeks after successfully defending his Ring Magazine junior welterweight championship against Steve Claggett.
Lopez (21-1, 16 knockouts) broached the topic this past Saturday during an interview with Mark Kriegel for ESPN+, hinting that he may be moving up in weight as soon as his next fight. Lopez said that, despite going the distance for the fourth straight time against Claggett, he believes his power will follow him to welterweight.
“I believe I still always have power. I’m still maturing as time goes. As far (as) power proceedsm It’s more so of IQ and EQ when you’re in that ring. And I think that’s really where I’m trying to progress myself to now. And (147 pounds) is something that I plan on moving towards to, probably even in this upcoming match.
“I believe what really sounds very swell is Teofimo Lopez, three divisional world champion at 27 years young.”
Lopez, who had previously been The Ring’s lightweight champion as well, was the dominant fighter against Claggett, hurting him at times, including round eight. According to Lopez, Claggett was a ‘Raging Bull’ type of fighter, and understood what type of opponent he was.
Heading into the Claggett fight, Lopez admitted losing interest in boxing, but gained a greater love and appreciation for the sport in recent months.
“What I learned was I shouldn’t fix certain things that are not broken,” Lopez said. “What I learned about myself is that I still have the hunger for the game. I still have that love for the sport. I think that’s the main important part of it. When I expressed to ESPN, on the platform, on the last showing with Max Kellerman, I remembered I expressed I didn’t want to do this no more. I didn’t need to. I (felt) like I accomplished everything. So as a fighter, myself, puts that into my element and really wants to retire. I think I lost a little bit of fire at that moment.
“To me, honestly, I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew the type of fighter I was facing. We (Top Rank) have phenomenal matchmakers, Hall of Famers, so to speak, in Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler, and they know how to make a career. This is why we call it, Top Rank. It’s for that reason. Only the top could rank, to this degree. I’ve learned in this process of getting there is allow the matchmakers to take care of my career. For instance, they’ve made the careers of Miguel Cotto, Felix Trinidad, Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya. The list could go on and on.”
Lopez, who now lives and trains in Las Vegas, Nevada, could return to action late September, likely at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Carl Moretti, Vice President of Operations for Top Rank, confirmed to The Ring a card that could also include unbeaten junior middleweight Xander Zayas and unbeaten featherweight Bruce Carrington.
As far as an opponent for Lopez, a name being considered is Brian Norman, Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs), who in his last bout on May 18, knocked out Giovani Santillan to win the WBO interim world welterweight title.
Lopez, who will turn 27 on July 30, has won his last five bouts since losing by split decision to George Kambosos, Jr. in November 2021. He is managed by David McWater.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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