Teofimo Lopez shocked boxing fans not once, but twice on Saturday night in New York.
The 25-year-old American star upset the odds to beat Josh Taylor by unanimous decision and become a two-weight world champion, then surprised everyone by saying he may now retire from the sport.
2
2
Lopez previously reached the top of the sport when he dethroned Vasyl Lomachenko and won the lightweight belts in 2020.
However, he lost those titles in his first defence to George Kambosos Jr the following year and returned with a controversial win over Sandor Martin in 2022 which led many observers to question his mindset and ability.
On Saturday night though, Lopez was back to his best.
The challenger comprehensively outclassed champion Taylor, beating him by unanimous decision to take his WBO super-lightweight crown.
After the fight when asked the inevitable ‘what next’ question, Lopez told reporters: “Retirement man, I’m kinda tired.
“I’m not getting paid enough. $1million? Get the f*** out of here.”
Pushed as to whether he was actually serious, Lopez insisted: “Yeah man, I need to take a break, I’m tired of everybody bullying me.
“I’m young, I’m a kid too at heart.
“I think y’all need to go after the Devin Haneys, the Shakur Stevensons and the Tyson Furys.”
