Teofimo Lopez is one of the most exciting fighters in boxing today. The Takeover combines explosive knockout power with slick boxing acumen.
He is equally the most frustrating boxer to watch. Teo can go from beating world-class opposition to looking subpar against fighters he should be dominating.
Lopez’s last outing was a lacklustre display against Jermaine Ortiz which left more questions than answers. The Brooklyn-born knockout artist is the definition of a hot and cold fighter. This begs the question how can someone look so good against some of the elite but look so poor against average opposition?
I take a look at The Takeover’s in-ring personality, his style, and his attitude towards his fellow fighters.
Teofimo Lopez’s Style
Teofimo Lopez is an explosive knockout artist who is an expert at cutting off the ring. The Takeover’s athleticism is what makes him such a threat in the ring.
Embed from Getty ImagesLopez can explode in an instant and land a huge shot that will rattle his opponent. If the 25-year-old is not able to knock you out he is still able to box behind his jab and pick you apart.
However, there are significant flaws in this style. Due to Lopez’s high twitch style, he is susceptible to fatiguing later in fights.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis was evident when he came up against George Kambosos. The 25-year-old tried so hard to knock Kambosos out that he became severely tired. Consequently, Lopez got picked apart and was handed his first career loss.
The Brooklyn-born fighter has an issue with telegraphing his powerful right hand. Lopez will often throw his right hand from out of range which leaves him open to get countered. His eagerness to land the right often sees him miss wildly or fall off balance.
Should Teofimo Lopez look to mix it with the elite of the sport there are obvious stylistic errors which he needs to erase.
Lopez’s approach to fights
In the build-up to Teo’s fight against Lomachenko, there was deep confidence within Lopez’s camp that he would get the victory. Lopez exuded this confidence himself. There seemed to be a belief within Lopez and his team that they knew something that others did not about Loma. This same belief was on hand when the Takeover fought Josh Taylor.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis turned out to be more than bravado as Lopez beat both Lomachenko and Taylor. However, against George Kambosos and more recently Jermaine Ortiz Lopez had a more conceited attitude beforehand. There was an air of when and not if he gets the victory against these types of opponents.
There was a similar attitude when Teo fought Sandor Martin another fight where the Takeover looked poor. These performances have had fans questioning where Lopez’s head is.
Embed from Getty ImagesPeople may look at Teo’s attitude as confidence and others will look at his as arrogance.
When faced against the elite there is an air of focus but when faced against anyone else Lopez shows a sloppiness. The greats can keep their head in the game no matter who they face.
Take Terence Crawford for example it took him a long time to face Errol Spence. In the meantime, he kept focused and stopped everyone he faced at welterweight.
Teofimo Lopez did recently call out Crawford, but he could learn to adopt a similar mindset as the two-time undisputed champion.
In-ring personality
As fight fans, we rarely even know fighters beyond what we see in the media. With some fighters, you get what you see and with others there is a sense that they are putting on show.
Fighters such as Terence Crawford keep a stoic look to them when speaking to the media. Whereas fighters such as Tyson Fury like to entertain the crowd. Teofimo Lopez falls into the bracket of a fighter who is an entertainer. In his last outing, Lopez walked to the ring with a circus supporting him.
The image that The Takeover paints is one that aims to entertain in and out of the ring. Whilst this is not necessarily a bad trait it does put added pressure on Lopez.
Embed from Getty ImagesIf he keeps up the image that he is an entertainer, then he must deliver in the ring. This often leads to fights like the George Kambosos where Lopez tries to get the knockout.
Some fighters can manage the pressure they put on themselves but for some, it can break them. In his run-up to beating Lomachenko Lopez was entertaining to watch without putting on a show.
There will come a point where Teo is able to maintain his performances whilst being an entertainer. As of right now, I believe it would suit Lopez more to focus on his boxing and nothing else. The talent that The Takeover possesses is unbelievable, but this talent can easily go to waste under the wrong mindset.
Image Credit: Deposit Photos