Boxing
Teofimo Lopez gains fresh perspective on career after defeating Steve Claggett
Published
6 months agoon
By
J. HumzaA FEW weeks after defeating Steve Claggett in a dominant defence of his WBO 140-pound title, Teofimo Lopez was in a still, reflective mood.
In an interview with ESPN’s Mark Kriegel before flying to Italy for vacation, Teo talked about how challenging his Canadian opponent turned out to be.
“I would say I have never thrown so many punches in my career, but it is obvious that with a bullfighter as furious as Steve Claggett, you have to stay dynamic and move forward,” he explained.
“But I think the lesson was that in my case, will has to be stronger than skill, and that’s what happened that night. I’ll be sincere, though, I think I could go 15 rounds with that guy. We should bring that back!”
While Kriegel quickly squashed the thought, hitting the target face-first round after round would certainly support conserve energy. Maintaining the same physical threat and mental focus when facing one of his elite peers would provide a different challenge.
“I learned that I shouldn’t fix things that aren’t broken,” Lopez mused. “I changed the material inside my gloves from regular orthopedic gloves with Grant to horsehair.
“I think the only ones who could really, you know, be perfect in that regard are Cleto Reyes. There’s nothing to take away from Grant, those are phenomenal gloves.”
Not satisfied with the materialistic answer, Kriegel continued his initial probing question, asking about some hidden, deeper things Lopez could learn from the fight with Claggett.
“I think the main thing I learned about myself is that I still have the hunger to play,” Lopez replied.
“I still have this love for the sport and I think that’s the most crucial part of it. When I expressed that to ESPN on the platform of the last Max Kellerman show, I remember saying I don’t want to do it anymore, I don’t have to.
“I felt like I had accomplished everything, so as a fighter who puts it in his element and really wants to retire, I think I lost a little bit of fire at that point. Especially after the phenomenal win over Taylor.”
The win over Josh Taylor was truly phenomenal. The win over Claggett was more functional, and Lopez knew that was going to be a fight. Facing a veteran who has a “beard of stone” (Kriegel’s words), coming to Florida to create his own Rocky Balboa moment, sometimes banana peels come at unexpected times.
While many criticized the selection of Steve Claggett as his world title opponent, Teofimo was hopeful that the entire promotional team would provide him with the right fights at the right time.
It’s not something he’s always done at Top Rank, especially around the time he first almost crossed the street to Triller to fight George Kambosos. When that fell through, the fight ended up on DAZN. Lopez now gives the impression that a similar move, an attempt to find better grass, wouldn’t happen twice.
“We have phenomenal matchmakers, you could say Hall of Famers. Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler know how to make a career.
“That’s why we call it Top Rank, for that reason. Only the best can reach that rank, and I’ve learned in the process to play the game and let the matchmakers take care of my career.”
“For example, they made the careers of Miguel Cotto, Felix Trinidad, the Four Horsemen, Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya. The list could go on.”
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
3 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
4 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
2 weeks agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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