Teofimo Lopez bitter in victory: “Let them hate”

Image: Teofimo Lopez bitter in victory: "Let them hate"
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 10: Teofimo Lopez (L) and Sandor Martin (R) exchange punches during their junior welterweight fight at Madison Square Garden on December 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
By Boxing News - 12/12/2022 - Comments

By Sam Volz: Teofimo Lopez seemed bitter in victory today, posting on social media a gloating message following what many fans feel was a hometown 10 round split decision over visiting fighter Sandor Martin last Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Some fans feel that two judges robbed the Spaniard Martin (40-3, 13 KOs) of a chance to make life-changing money by giving the New Yorker Teofimo (18-1, 13 KOs) an unpopular victory.

Sandor dropped Teofimo twice but was only given credit for one knockdown after the referee arguably blew the call in the seventh.

Had Sandor been given the win, it would have put him in a position to get a good-paying rematch or possibly a title shot against one of the 140-lb champions like Josh Taylor or Regis Prograis.

Two of the judges surprisingly scored it wide for Teofimo at 97-92 and 96-93.

In an ideal world, Teofimo’s promoters at Top Rank would do the right thing by giving Sandor a rematch out of fairness and to quiet down the fans that have been crying robbery since the contest results were announced.

Teofimo, an angry winner

Sandor: Teofimo lacks the power & chin

“That’s not his category. Regis Prograis can kill him. Prograis is in another league,” said Sandor Martin to Fighthype about his view that WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis would destroy Teofimo Lopez.

“No, he doesn’t stay at the top,” said Martin when asked if Teofimo is an ‘elite fighter’ at 140 lbs. “I make a masterclass performance here at Madison Square Garden in New York. A Spanish boy that nobody knows.

“I won this fight against Teofimo Lopez for a reason, but that’s the sport of boxing. Coming to the home, and that’s the decision of the judges.

“I don’t know. I’m going to return to my home,” said Sandor when asked who he wants to fight next. I will return to Texas and other big fights.

YouTube video

“Absolutely not,” said Sandor when asked if Teofimo can beat Devin Haney. “Devin Haney is super at boxing. He’s so fast and so intelligent. Teofimo is not prepared for this level.

“The Lomachenko fight was an accident [for Teofimo to have won]. Lomachenko is a top fighter. He beat Lomachenko, and in his first defense, he lost against Kambosos.

“He has a lot of good skills; he’s a very good boxer, but not a world level boxer,” said Sandor about Teofimo. “That’s only for a few boxers. Teofimo is not in this league. Maybe at 135 lbs, yes, but not at 140 lbs.

“This division is so difficult. No, he doesn’t have the power 140,” said Sandor about Teofimo lacking big power in the light welterweight division. “He doesn’t have the power or the chin.

“I’m not the hardest puncher, and I knocked him down two times with three weeks of preparation with my nose broken,” said Martin.