For nearly two years now, Teofimo Lopez Jr. and his father / trainer have been saying the 23-year-old brash racket is ready to take on the sport. It turned out they were right.
Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) hosted an angry rally from Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) to score an angry victory by unanimously deciding on Saturday to unite all four lightweight titles within the MGM’s Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Lopez, the IBF title holder, brought together Lomachenko’s WBA, WBO and WBC titles.
The judges scored 116-112, 119-109 and 117-113 for Lopez, a native of Brooklyn, New York. CBS Sports also had it for Lopez, 116-112.
“All it is is ‘The Takeover,'” said Lopez, referring to both his nickname and his general catchphrase. “It is time for the new generation and it is time for me to show everyone the way.”
Although Lopez’s only shot at victory was expected to come through a knockout, the biggest surprise that night was that in Lomachenko, he largely overtook the world’s best pure boxer to claim victory.
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Despite the gap in experience, Lopez’s speed and accuracy forced 32-year-old Lomachenko into a shell that he didn’t come out of until the second half of the fight. Though Lomachenko’s defense was consistently on point, the former two-time Olympic gold medalist looked rusty after a 14 month layoff and felt enough of Lopez’s power to keep him from moving forward when the younger fighter was fresh.
“I have to thank God. I had to dig deep,” said Lopez. “I’m grateful, I’m grateful and every day I record this. I go by faith for a reason and it feels good.”
According to CompuBox, Lopez outperformed Lomachenko by a margin of 183 to 141. He also did well to fend off a late rise from Lomachenko, as it was evident that Lopez was visibly exhausting.
“Honestly, it was just to keep the pressure on him, that’s all you have to do. Use the push and never give him a chance to settle down,” Lopez said. “Every time he wanted to throw, I had something for him to break his momentum. He had a 14 month layoff and I knew it would take him a long time to catch up.”
Although a dejected Lomachenko left the ring immediately after reading the decision, he combined 45% of his total power punches and became the attacker for the last five rounds of the fight. Lomachenko appeared on the path to winning the final round by getting out clean combinations first until Lopez hurt him with a left hook and piling his own power shots to the last bell.
“I’m a fighter, I have to dig deep. I can’t give that to him,” said Lopez about the last lap. “I don’t know if they have it on the scorecards or not. I love to fight and I can hit too. I don’t care. I take one to give one and that’s what a true champion does. I’ll find a way to get out and win. “
Lopez was the first fighter in the four-belt era to become an undisputed lightweight champion. Since his body was still growing, he wasn’t sure where to go next after the fight. “Get me up to 140 or I could fight Devin Haney if that’s what they want,” Lopez said.
CBS Sports was with you all the way on Saturday. Be sure to follow the live results and highlights below.
Lomachenko vs. Lopez map, results
- Teofimo Lopez Jr. (c) def. Vasiliy Lomachenko by unanimous decision (116-112, 119-109, 117-111)
- Arnold Barboza Jr. def. Alex Saucedo by unanimous decision (96-93, 97-92, 97-92)
- Edgar Berlanga def. Lanell Bellows via TKO in the first round
Lomachenko vs. Lopez Scorecard, Live Coverage
Lomachenko | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 112 |
Lopez Jr. | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 116 |
