By Sean Jones: Ring Magazine entered Teofimo Lopez to their pound-for-pound list at the #10 spot after his upset win over WBO light welterweight champion Josh Taylor last weekend.
Many fighters are far more deserving of being in Ring Magazine’s pound than Teofimo Lopez, who had looked terrible in three of his last four fights going into last Saturday’s contest against the over-the-hill Josh Taylor.
Why aren’t these fighters on the list?
- Artur Beterbiev
- Jermall Charlo
- Regis Prograis – King of 140-lb division
- Stephen Fulton
- David Benavidez
- David Morrell
While some of Teofimo’s loyal fans are crying foul over Teo being listed below a #9 Vasyl Lomachenko, the Ring Magazine staff got it right on this one because Loma has done far more with his career since his narrow loss three years ago.
You can make an argument that if Teofimo had beaten WBC 140-lb champion Regis Prograis or IBF champ Subriel Matias last Saturday night, he’d have been given a higher ranking on the Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound list because the Scottish fighter Josh Taylor has looked completely shot since last year when he beat Jack Catterall by controversial twelve round split decision in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Ring Magazine will need to update their pound-for-pound list soon if Teofimo chooses to stick with his retirement gag for much longer because they can’t have retired fighters taking up space when they quit the sport.
Updated Ring Magazine pound-for-pound list
1. Oleksandr Usyk
2. Naoya Inoue
3. Terence Crawford
4. Errol Spence
5. Canelo Alvarez
6. Dmitry Bivol
7. Devin Haney
8. Gervonta Davis
9. Vasyl Lomachenko
10. Teofimo Lopez
Josh Taylor fought a “stupid fight”
“Teo controlled the rhythm of the fight. The other guy [Josh Taylor] had no rhythm,” said Teddy Atlas on his The Fight channel. “The other guy looked robotic. He [Teofimo] landed the more effective punches all night long, and he hurt him several times.
“Some will say that Teo swayed people to think it was further apart because he was more flashy, with his body language, dropping his hands and showing that he was in control.
“The other guy was getting caught, and for me, he [Taylor] wasn’t effective, and he was fighting a stupid fight, but he was trying. Some people will say that’s why the judges had it close because the other guy [Teofimo] was getting points from the general public for being flashy.
“It still has to be tangible damage, and the tangible damage was put there by one guy, Teofimo. I’m going to say this. Teofimo, besides being quicker, more instinctual, and besides all that.
“He had the much more cerebral fight plan. The other guy fought a stupid fight, and I don’t like to call people stupid, but he fought a dumb fight. He just walked in cold. For the most part, Taylor walked in cold all night.
“I even Tweeted during the fight, ‘His trainer needs to tell him look to catch Teo,’ especially early on. There were spots where Teo was reaching a little bit, lunging a little bit, a little vulnerable. Look to catch him with that southpaw right hook, the counter hook,” Atlas said.
Teofimo took advantage of Taylor’s reckless agression
“Catch him on the way in. Don’t go chasing him because you got a quick guy, an instinctual guy, a fluid guy, a guy with quick twitch,” Atlas said about what Taylor should have done against Teofimo.
“If you chase him, you’re going to walk into something. Let him come to you and counter him.
“Take advantage of some of his reckless aggression early on. Later on, that aggression worked for him [Teofimo]. It was like Pacquiao used to do.
“He jumped in quick enough to get away with it. He was very explosive, and that brought great results for him against Taylor. But early on there were spots where he could have caught him coming in, and even later in the fight. But he didn’t have that kind of mindset, Taylor, that kind of preparation, that kind of fight plan at all.
“Teofimo had his own fight plan. He didn’t get any help from camp, but it was the right fight plan. It was an instinctual fight plan. He knew he had to use his speed and his instincts, and he knew he had to counter. He counter-punched beautifully. He countered this guy coming in.
“He took advantage of this guy coldly just walking in and he countered the crap out of him and he used the right punches,” said Atlas about Teofimo.
