By Dan Ambrose: Former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez weighed in at 139 1/4 pounds on Friday for his 12 round bout against the tricky Sandor Martin this Saturday night live on ESPN at Madison Square Garden in New York. Martin (40-2, 12 KOs) weighed in at 139 3/4 lbs for his 9:00 p.m. ET bout on ESPN+ against Teofimo (17-1, 13 KOs).
Teofimo made a big production about opening a Wonka bar to pull out a gold ticket while on stage. It’s unclear whether the 25-year-old Teofimo has an endorsement deal with Nestle, the company that makes the Wonka Bar. If so, that would explain why Teofimo opted to open the bar on stage.
Weights
Teofimo Lopez 139.2 vs. Sandor Martin 139.8
Jared Anderson 239 vs. Jerry Forrest 228.2
Xander Zayas 153 vs. Alexis Salazar 153.8
Keyshawn Davis 134.8 vs. Juan Carlos Burgos 134
Frederic Julan 175.8 vs. Joe Ward 174.4
Damian Knyba 245.8 lbs vs. Emilio Salas 217 lbs
Tiger Johnson 141 lbs vs. Mike Ohan Jr. 141.6 lbs
“I can’t go off of Martin and how he does it and how he should be more appreciative,” said Teofimo Lopez to Top Rank Boxing. “Everyone has their own bed that they’re making.
“On Saturday night, he’s got to lay in his bed,” Teofimo continued. “To be real, I’m selfish in one sense. That’s why I call it the takeover. If anyone is going to lead this group in this generation, I’m thankful, and I’m truly grateful. Gratitude.
“They may not know me, but they see that I’m happy, and people just want happiness now. If they truly knew, they have it in them. They just need to see it from someone else. That’s not a problem, and I love it because that’s bringing me joy.
“Now, I realize something inside of me is kicking in at the right time. It’s kicked in at the right time at 25. At 25, I’m not going to ask why. I’m just going to ride my bike and enjoy the journey.
“I don’t need to get to a destination. Now, it’s time the world sees your art. Now, it’s time they truly see your art. The whole world is going to stop and watch Teofimo. I fight for you. Not for anybody else,” said Teofimo.
“He’s always looked good. What was killing us was the weight,” said Teofimo Lopez Sr. “Everybody knows that. Everybody is going to see that every fight is going to get better.
“His body is getting healthier. His body went through like no athlete would have went through what he went through. I know that for a fact. I don’t want to say a lot. Just watch the fight on September 10th. It’s going to be amazing. Don’t miss it. It’s going to be awesome,” said Teofimo Sr.