By Kyle Kinder-
Four bouts prior to Terence Crawford’s thorough dissection of Felix Diaz on May 20th, Teofimo Lopez III performed a celebratory backflip inside the boxing ring at Madison Square Garden. His opponent that night, Ronald Rivas, lay ten feet his opposite, flat on his back, staring up at the rafters atop the “World’s Most Famous Arena.” It was Lopez’s fifth professional fight. His fifth victory. His fifth knockout.
For a 19 year old kid born just a few subway stops from Broadway, in Brooklyn, there
could be no bigger thrill. But the very sport that provided that stage hasn’t always been kind to the Top Rank prospect, who since the age of five has called Davie, FL home.
While preparing to compete at the US Olympic trials in Reno, NV, in an attempt to
qualify for the 2016 Rio games, Lopez received some unexpected news.
“USA boxing actually called me about two or three weeks prior to the Olympic trials,” Lopez, said. “They let me know that [Carlos] Balderas got the spot [at lightweight].”
Lopez, who is trained by his father, Teofimo Lopez, Jr., continued, “I got off the phone with Mike Martino (executive director of USA Boxing) and Matthew Johnson (director of high performance at USA Boxing) and they told me that Balderas qualified and earned an Olympic berth for the 2016 games and that there was nothing they could do.”
Shortly before Olympic trials, Balderas participated in the World Series of Boxing (WSB), a lengthy international competition run by the International Boxing Association (AIBA). AIBA, the governing body that oversees international amateur boxing, including the Olympics, awarded Balderas an Olympic slot based on his fourth place WSB finish. In doing so, Balderas became the first US boxer to qualify for the 2016 summer Olympics and the first in US history to qualify via this roundabout route. AIBA’s decision handcuffed all other American lightweight hopefuls.
Reflecting on that phone call with USA boxing, Lopez recalled, “I just felt like my soul…I was cold, I was dead.” Later adding, “All the hard work that you put in, they took it away.”
Determined to prove that he was the best American amateur at 132lbs., the 2015 National
Golden Gloves Champion and his father packed their bags and headed to Reno. When the tournament concluded, five days after it began, Lopez had accomplished what he set out to do: win the US Olympic Trials.
But because Balderas already occupied USA’s lightweight slot, Lopez sought and found an alternative route to Brazil, earning an opportunity to represent his parents’ birth country, Honduras.
Lopez’s dream of winning a gold medal was short-lived, however, when he found himself on the losing end of a controversial unanimous decision against France’s Sofiane Oumiha in the tournament’s opening round.
“I truly believe that I won that fight. All judges had it for my opponent,” Lopez said. “I don’t ever recall, and I had over 170 amateur fights, losing by unanimous decision. I felt that I would win that fight by split decision. I didn’t like the second round, but I felt that I still won the fight.”
Less than two months after the Olympics commenced, AIBA suspended all 36 judges and
referees that participated in the Rio games.
Eager to forego his amateur status and begin a new chapter in his pugilistic journey, Lopez linked up with manager David McWater of Split-T Management and signed a multiyear promotional contract with Top Rank in October 2016.
“Amateur style was never for me. I’ve always had a pro style since I was 13,” Lopez said. “I’m so happy, I’m so comfortable, there’s so much weight off my shoulders because I’m not an amateur fighter anymore.”
Lopez, who formerly sparred with the likes of Guillermo Rigondeaux and Shawn Porter, debuted last November on the Manny Pacquiao-Jesse Vargas undercard. In his first pro fight, the energetic Honduran-American sent Ishwar Siqueiros to the mat four times inside two rounds. The definitive blow came courtesy of a meaty left hook to the liver; a punch that forced Siqueiros to a knee, where he remained for a ten count and beyond.
Since then, Lopez has continued to mow down his opponents, stopping all four challengers inside the scheduled distance.
“I don’t look for the knockouts, they just come,” Lopez said. “With my placement, I break them down little by little and they feel it. Whether it’s a TKO or a knockout, it’s going to be a stoppage.”
When discussing what makes him so dangerous between the ropes, the energetic Brooklyn-born fighter said, “I’m accurate, I’m fast, I’m sharp, smart, defensive…I have the whole package, I have all the tools.”
And while he is not shy to tout his impressive skillset, Lopez is also aware that a fighter never knows all.
“I still have a lot more to learn, I’m only 19 years old and I’m just growing, getting older and maturing,” Lopez declared.
“I know I’m young, but I’m not dumb. I know at any moment a punch can change a
fight,” the former Golden Gloves champ said. He later added, “You’re going to get hit in this sport, but it’s about how you react when you do get it and how you adapt. A true champion can adapt to anything.”
Lopez is scheduled to be back in the ring on July 7 in Orlando, FL. No doubt his yet-to-be-determined opponent will be carefully selected by Top Rank’s veteran matchmakers, Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler.
Well aware that as his career progresses, the level of fighting ability his opponents possess will steadily increase, Lopez is confident that he can be a chameleon inside the ring if necessary. He knows soon enough he’ll be pitted against a foe that presents stylistic obstacles that must be overcome in order earn to a victory.
“Styles make fights. If I have a sharp fighter in front of me I’m going to be sharp and you’ll see a whole different side of me,” Lopez said. “But every fighter is different and every fighter makes me different.”
So far, Lopez has dazzled in his first five fights, punching with purpose and delighting crowds with knockout victories. For a kid from Brooklyn, with an uncommon name, who’s had his ups and downs in the sport of boxing, it’s as good a start to a pro career as one could have hoped for.
“Teofimo Lopez is unique, nobody’s ever heard of that name,” Lopez remarked.
If there is any truth to that statement now — rest assured, if Lopez fulfills his fistic potential, it will only be a matter of time before that statement is rendered false.
