By Jeff Aranow: Undefeated lightweight contender Teofimo Lopez (11-0, 9 KOs) will be in action tonight in a 10 round fight against former world title challenger Diego Magdaleno (31-2, 13 KOs) on the undercard of the rematch between WBO light heavyweight champion Eleider Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev on ESPN+ at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
It says a lot about how Top Rank Boxing feels about the 21-year-old Lopez for them to put him on the subscription section of the Alvarez-Kovalev 2 card on ESPN+ rather than on the regular ESPN/ESPN Deportes. ESPN+ costs only $4.99 per month for boxing fans to pay to watch the sporting events on that platform. A 7 day ESPN+ free trial is available here.
With Lopez’s punching power, it’s going to be interesting to see how long Magdaleno can stand up to his huge shots. Lopez destroyed his last opponent Mason Menard (34-4, 24 KOs) by a 1st round knockout on December 8 in a highlight reel stoppage. Menard is a good fighter, but Lopez blasted him out without any problems. The highly thought of prospect Devin Haney had needed nine rounds to stop Menard last year in May 2018. The fact that Lopez was able to crush Menard in the first round, it shows the difference between him and Haney in the punching power department.
“I’m taking over the show, and it’s with all due respect to these fighters out here,” Teofimo Lopez said. “What we came out to do, and what we plan to do, is take over and exceed everybody’s expectations…I already feel like I’m a world champion. To me, the only thing {missing} is a world title,” Lopez said.
There’s a very good chance that Lopez will steal the show from the main event fighters Alvarez and Kovalev. There’s no one the undercard that brings the same kind of punching power as Lopez. WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez is fighting on the undercard against #14 WBO Carmine Tommasone on ESPN/ESPN Deportes, but that fight isn’t likely going to end in an early knockout like the Lopez vs. Magdaleno fight. Valdez isn’t that kind of a puncher, and he’s coming off of a broken jaw. The last thing that Valdez will be trying to do is outshine Lopez by putting his jaw on the line against Tommaone, even though he’s not considered a puncher. There’s going to be a lot of boxing fans tuning in to watch tonight’s Alvarez vs. Kovalev 2 card on ESPN. This is Lopez’s big chance to win over a lot of new fans that have never seen him fight before.
Magdaleno was knocked out in the second round by former World Boxing Organization lightweight champion Terry Flanagan in 2015. Flanagan was never noted for big a hard puncher, but he wasted no time in hurting Magdaleno and getting him out of there in the second round. That fight was a rout from the opening bell. The 5’9″ Flanagan had too much size and power for for the 5’6″ Magdaleno. Lopez, 5’8″, is a little bit shorter than Flanagan, but with a much bigger puncher. If Magdaleno’s punch resistance hasn’t improved since his loss to Flanagan, he’s going to get knocked out quickly tonight when he gets inside the ring with the young 21-year-old Lopez. Magdaleno has won his last three fights since his loss to Flanagan. He defeated Jesus Cuadro and Emmanuel Herrera in 2018. In 2016, Magdaleno defeated Art Hovhannisyan. Magdaleno fought just once in 2016, and not at all in 2017. His activity level isn’t what you’d like it to be for him to be going into a tough fight against a guy like Lopez.
Lopez, who comes from Brooklyn, New York, is ranked #9 WBA, #11 WBC, #11 WBO at 135, and he’s well thought of by his promoters at Top Rank. They’re pushing him fast in putting him in with 32-year-old former lightweight word title challenger Magdaleno, who is a pretty good fighter.
If Lopez wins tonight and gets through his fight with Magdaleno without injury, he’ll be fighting on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Amir Khan on April 20 against an opponent still to be determined at Madison Square Garden in New York. That card will be televised on ESPN PPV. Lopez has go get through his fight against the southpaw Magdaleno without suffering any injuries, because it’s a quick turnaround for him to get back in training camp to get ready to fight on April 20. Top Rank will likely match Lopez with an even better fighter than what he’ facing tonight for the April 20th card. It’s important that Lopez face someone notable and talented, given that the card is on ESPN PPV, and not just a regular ESPN or ESPN+ fight card.
Prediction
Lopez is going to jump on Magadaleno immediately, and take him out in the 1st round with huge shots to the head. Magadaleno’s defense hasn’t improved since his loss to Flanagan, which means he’s going to be wide open for all of Lopez’s power shots tonight. Lopez hits too hard for his opponents to just stand there and take them. For Magdaleno to have a chance of surviving for long in this fight, he would need to have defensive skills than he has or at least excellent punching power. With a KO percentage of 39, Magadaleno is not a puncher, even though he tries to be one. He’s a brawler, who fancies himself as a puncher, but who lacks any kind of power. That’s the wrong style to have in fighting a knockout artist like Lopez. The boxing fans will enjoy tonight’s Lopez vs. Magdaleno fight for as long as it lasts.