Teofimo Lopez vs Miguel Berchelt = GREAT fight at 135

By Boxing News - 06/29/2020 - Comments

By Max Seitelman: Miguel ‘El Alacran’ Berchelt and Teofimo Lopez could be the next legitimate stars for Top Rank, and a fight between them in the future makes sense.

IBF lightweight champion Teofimo (15-0, 12 KOs) is expected to move up to the 140-pound division after his unification match against WBA/WBC/WBO champ Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Teofimo’s size and punching power could give the 28-year-old Berchelt problems. Although both guys are close to the same height at 5’8″ for Teofimo and 5’7″ for Berchelt, there’s a big difference in weight, power, youth, and speed.

Size may play a factor

The 22-year-old Teofimo looks huge after he rehydrates for his fights at 135, and Berchelt would be outweighed by the American

Teofimo’s advantages:

  • Speed
  • size
  • Power
  • Youth

Image: Teofimo Lopez vs Miguel Berchelt = GREAT fight at 135

Those are a lot of things that Teofimo has going on his side for a fight against Berchelt. Just having one of those elements could be enough for him to beat Berchelt, but to all four of them, it puts him in an excellent position to win.

Berchelt’s advantages:

  • Punch volume
  • Experience
  • Boxing skills
  • Jab

Berchelt’s best shot at beating Teofimo is if he could get him to agree to a catchweight of 132 or 133 pounds. Teofimo would be even more drained than he is now in melting down from an all muscle 155-lbs to make weight at 135 for his contests in the lightweight division.

Young fighters like Teofimo are capable of losing 20 pounds of water weight the week of their fight, and then quickly rehydrate to compete with a size advantage. Berchelt would have to try and drain Teofimo down in weight to have a good shot at winning. If Berchelt moves up to Teofimo’s weight class at 135, he could be too small.

Berchelt would need to change his game

The 28-year-old Berchelt wins his fights with his high-volume punching attacks, and he gets hit a lot when attacking. He doesn’t shutout his opponents defensively like a Pernell Whitaker or Floyd Mayweather Jr used to do in their prime.

For Berchelt to beat Teofimo, he would need to be able to handle all the big shots that he would be hitting him with during the fight. Berchelt has never tasted the kind of power that Teofimo has going for him, and it might be too much, especially if he’s fully rehydrated to junior middleweight at 155.

If Top Rank promoter Bob Arum can put together a deal for Berchelt and Teofimo to fight, it would bring in big numbers on pay-per-view. Unfortunately, it’s doubtful that Arum will ever let Berchelt and Teofimo fight.

Image: Teofimo Lopez vs Miguel Berchelt = GREAT fight at 135

It doesn’t make sense for Arum to put them together and ruin one of his revenue streams, but you never know. It’s still too early. Right now, it’s unthinkable for Teofimo and Berchelt (38-1, 34 KOs) to fight.

Berchelt is fighting at 130 and holds the WBC super featherweight title. He plans to face his #1 WBC challenger Oscar Valdez (27-0, 21 KOs) in the fall. Shakur Stevenson is a future option for Berchelt and Valdez as well.

Impressive win for Berchelt over Valenzuela

Berchelt looked great last Saturday night in defeating Eleazar Valenzuela (21-14-4, 16 KOs) by a sixth-round TKO at the TV Azteca Studios in Mexico City. Valenzuela was decked by Berchelt in round one and then later stopped on his feet in the sixth. Berchelt’s WBC super featherweight belt wasn’t on the line for the fight.

This was a showcase fight for Berchelt to get him ready for his title defense against former WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez in the fall. This is the fight that the fans are looking forward to, and it’s also a very winnable one for Berchelt.

He’s the bigger guy that Valdez, and he’s capable of throwing more punches. Valdez has had problems with his chin for the last two years, and he seems to be getting hurt repeatedly in his fights. Miguel Marriaga, Genesis Servania, Scott Quigg, and Adam Lopez all had Valdez hurt during their fights.

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