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Why Teofimo is fighting Claggett and how he can get the gigantic fights he wants

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MIAMI — Teofimo Lopez glides through the ring surrounded by palm trees where it all began for the junior welterweight champion.

Lopez was born in Brooklyn, Modern York, but grew up in South Florida, where he moved when he was 5. It was not far, about 20 miles away in Davie, that Lopez began boxing training a year later under the tutelage of his father, Teofimo Lopez Sr.

And that’s where Lopez will return on Saturday at the age of 26 (his father will still be in the corner) to fight his first professional fight in Miami, defending his WBO junior welterweight world title against Steve Claggett (10 p.m. time). Eastern, ESPN and ESPN+).

Lopez (21-1, 13 KO) once again wants to gain momentum. He claimed he was retiring last summer after an impressive victory over Josh Taylor to become a two-division champion. Then, in February, Lopez scored a decision victory over Jamain Ortiz in a tranquil fight that drew boos.

Lopez, perhaps, simply needed a break. He rested after his last fight, Lopez told ESPN earlier this month in Little Havana, and now feels rejuvenated.

“I think it was good for me; I think I needed it overall,” said Lopez, ESPN’s No. 10 pound-for-pound boxer. “I trained right after the Josh Taylor fight. So you’re really looking at about eight months of camp.”

For the second straight time, Lopez will face someone below the elite level. Against a perfectly tailored opponent in Claggett, Lopez could operate another impressive knockout to generate buzz for a much bigger fight in the future.

He is an exceptionally talented fighter, an athletic boxer-puncher with a innovative offensive arsenal. There is Lopez, who defeated Vasiliy Lomachenko (2020) and Taylor. Both performed with a bang, making Lopez the lineal champion (Lomachenko at 135 pounds, Taylor at 140 pounds).

However, Lopez also experienced disappointments. He was passed by George Kambosos Jr. on ESPN’s 2021 Upset of the Year. The fight – his first after his victory over Lomachenko – took place in November this year in Modern York. The gala was originally scheduled to take place in June at LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. Then he contracted Covid-19, preventing the fight to return home that Lopez had been waiting for and throwing him off balance.

Lopez later moved up to 140 pounds, and Saturday’s fight will be his fifth fight at that weight. The fight with Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KO) promises to be a tough fight. Despite 47 professional fights, the 35-year-old Canadian has never had a fight lasting 12 rounds.

The choice fell on Claggett, allegedly because he’s an uncomplicated target to give Lopez his first knockout win since August 2022. According to ESPN BET, Lopez’s odds of doing just that are -135 and -1,200 for him to win.

“When they announced the Claggett fight, I was surprised because he should dominate and win no matter how long the fight goes on,” longtime matchmaker Eric Bottjer told ESPN. “… Lopez is in a different world, so this fight shouldn’t be competitive. … It’s just a time trial. Teofimo needs to stay busy, focus on boxing.”

Lopez called Claggett a “tough, tough” player. In other words, he won’t offer the polished, boxing and moving style of Ortiz, who frustrated Lopez in a close fight. Sandor Martin, whom Lopez defeated in December 2022, boxed in a similar way.

“Steve Claggett is someone who is coming out,” Lopez said. “…I don’t like guys who talk about it just to get a paycheck and don’t come to the fight.”

Regardless of the fighting style of all three opponents, none of them even comes close to representing what could be a gigantic fight for Lopez, a rising star with a larger-than-life personality.

Lopez plans to return in September – “we have something in mind” – and hopes to fight for a fourth time in December. He says the gigantic fights are “right around the corner,” although when is unclear.

According to Lopez, he appears to be frustrated with the fact that other gigantic names in his division are not willing to take the risk of fighting him.

“Everybody just has to accept: When you lose to Teofimo, you don’t lose to the worst guy,” Lopez said. “You lose to the best guy. So just accept the fact that this loss is just a lesson for you, that I was just a better person. That’s it.”

Lopez’s junior welterweight division offers some intriguing options. Boxing star Gervonta “Tank” Davis once competed at 140 pounds and was considering a return. He is in talks with Lomachenko later this year as part of the unification of the lightweight title.

Fellow star Ryan Garcia will be suspended until April 2025 after testing positive for a banned substance ahead of his fight with Devin Haney. Haney just vacated the 140-pound title and appears headed to welterweight.

Although Lopez has never fought above 140 pounds, he singled out Terence Crawford, who will fight Israil Madrimov for the junior middleweight title on August 3.

“I can fight at 54,” Lopez said. “…It doesn’t matter how gigantic they are, it’s about your skill. It’s about how you fight, how you deal with it. As long as you have forceful legs, you can move up in any weight class.”

Lopez claims that when he fought Taylor, he weighed 152 pounds on fight night while Taylor weighed 165 pounds.

“Is [Crawford] ready for one more gigantic fight?” Lopez asked. “We’ll see. I think he’s just focused on the payday and saying, ‘It’s good. I did my job.’

“But I don’t believe that a guy like him, so competitive, would want to leave like that. You can’t say you’re the best; you have to face a guy like me. I say a lot of s—, but I support it.”

In the meantime, Lopez will be busy and looking for the one thing that has proven perhaps even more elusive than his skillful adversaries: consistency.

“We have some things we need to work on,” Lopez said. “That’s OK. That’s part of it. I’m only 26. The way I’m fighting, it looks like I’m in my 30s at my peak, but I’m not. I’m still a kid in this and I’m learning from it. So I think that’s the best part, that I know I have time, and time is my best friend.”

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Boxing

Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years

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Floyd Mayweather 50-0

Floyd 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.

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Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios

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Manny Pacquiao vs Barrios

WBN 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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A report about Deontay Wilder retiring at the age of 39 has been confirmed as false

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Deontay Wilder masked up

Deontay Wilder has not retired from boxing at the age of 39, and the former WBC heavyweight champion has not issued any official statement.

World Boxing News can confirm that reports circulating on social media are false and originated from a imitation account on Up-to-date Year’s Day. As of January 2, 2025, WBN has had no word from Wilder that he plans to hang up his gloves.

As usual, WBN also asked Shelly Finkel for comment. However, Finkel has repeatedly said in the past that Wilder is not retiring. This case seems to be no different.

The last time Wilder spoke publicly was while promoting a mental health app, the Brown Bomber was unveiling plans to return to the sport.

He said: “The push-up protocol has been disabled. Strengthen your body and train your mind; no paid subscription required! It’s not about money. It’s about a mission to strengthen mindsets and improve mental health for all.
To everyone: operate your services and achieve greatness.

“There will be people who tell you, ‘No, you can’t.’ [No] People trying to stop you or putting up stop signs. [No] People who want to bring you down and keep you down. But you can’t give up.

“No matter how many times you fall, no matter how many times you get knocked down, it’s a resilient mind, a confident mind, a powerful mind that gets back up and keeps moving forward to achieve your greatness.

“Apply your service. Achieve your greatness,” he added.

Deontay Wilder could announce his retirement tomorrow if he changed his mind, but at the time of the report, there was no truth to it.

When Zhilei Zhang knocked him out on June 1 in Saudi Arabia, the formidable top-flight contender needed time to assess his situation. WBN understands that Wilder has received offers, including contact from Francis Ngannou, regarding a possible boxing match with the MMA star.

The Wilder vs. Ngannou fight only makes sense for an American his age. Many voluntary positions [of which Wilder is WBC number 13] are occupied by threatening opponents who would start each clash as favorites.

Meanwhile, the Ngannou fight is winnable with less risk and more rewards, meaning Wilder can still earn a significant payday before hanging up his gloves for good.

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