By Rory Hickey: Teofimo López (19-1, 13 KO) did it again. López defeated Josh Taylor inside the Theater at Madison Square Garden to take Taylor’s championship and his status as the top guy at 140 pounds.
López became the lineal super lightweight champion just as he did at 135 pounds when he upset Vasyl Lomachenko in 2020. The 25-year-old López has now conquered two separate weight classes.
Teofimo López announced his retirement from boxing following the victory. López hanging up his gloves and never fighting again would be more stunning than his two upsets over Lomachenko and Taylor. However, I think Teofimo López should defy expectations one more time by retiring from boxing and riding off into the sunset.
López was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Honduran immigrants. Though López is only 25 years old, it feels like he has been in boxing for a lifetime. When López was an amateur, he won the 2015 National Golden Gloves tournament at lightweight. Following that victory, he won the U.S. Olympic Trials, which usually would have given him a place on the United States Olympic team.
However, Carlos Balderas had already clinched the one lightweight division slot on the U.S. Olympic team. Rather than accept the disappointment, López Jr. qualified for the Honduran Olympic Team and competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He lost to France’s Sofiane Oumiha, who went on to win the silver medal.
Teofimo López made his professional debut in November 2016. López was knocked down in his first professional round by Ishwar Siqueiros before López took over and knocked Siqueiros out in round two.
Teofimo López was boxing’s prospect of the year in 2017 and gained popularity with highlight reel knockouts and celebrations from the popular online game Fortnite. López found a niche fighting at Madison Square following the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
In 2018, he knocked out Mason Menard spectacularly for the adoring crowd, then donned the jersey of Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray. The following year he beat Richard Commey to win his first world title and rocked a Joe Burrow jersey as a nod to that year’s Heisman winner.
López is very comfortable doing things his way. After he upset Vasyl Lomachenko to become the undisputed lightweight champion, he explained why he would not grant Lomachenko a rematch, explaining, “Everybody [in Lomachenko’s camp] was being a dick to me, my father. [Lomachenko] didn’t want to put a rematch clause in our contract.”
The lone loss of López’s career was against George Kambosos Jr. in a candidate for Fight of the Year in 2021, in which López lost his four lightweight belts to Kambosos, but he was lucky that was all he lost.
Following the bout, it came out that López fought with air in his chest cavity- a consequence of a small tear in his esophagus, likely the result of the rapid rehydration between the weigh-in on Friday and Saturday night’s fight.
Dr. Linda Dahl, an otolaryngologist (ENT) who examined López post-fight, said, “He could have died, for sure. How he breathed, I can’t even explain to you. It’s like somebody tied a 300-pound set of weights around his chest, like his neck and chest were in a vise. That’s how he fought.”
Regardless of the circumstances, anytime a boxer loses for the first time, how they respond is unknown. Initially, López seemed like he may never get back to the mountaintop again. Given the volatility of some of López’s actions, adding a first career loss to the mix could have proven disastrous.
Teofimo López has gone through a lot of turmoil in his personal life, getting married and having a son with his wife Cynthia, only to get divorced and see his son very infrequently.
Then there is Teofimo López’s dad, Teofimo López Sr., who has trained his son since he was age six. The elder López has battled addiction throughout his life and has been present through his son’s coming of age and takeover of boxing, for better and worse.
López Jr. has authored some concerning posts on social media in recent years, questioning whether life was worth living, among many other troubling tweets. Teofimo is just one example of this, Ja Morant being another example. It makes you wonder how people in their early twenties can operate under such heavy media scrutiny.
Before his fight with Josh Taylor, López Jr. got interviewed by ESPN’s Mark Kriegel. His father came into the room during the conversation. López Jr. answered one of Kriegel’s questions a little too honestly for his dad’s liking, which prompted an admonishment from his father. The “interview” ended with cameras capturing the two Lópezes shouting at each other; this exchange was just days before López Jr.’s victory over Taylor.
Part of what made López’s victory over Josh Taylor so stunning was that it was only his second bout at 140 pounds, and López’s performance in his first fight at super lightweight left plenty of questions.
This past December, fighting again following the Heisman Trophy ceremony, López hoped to have a dominant performance against Sandor Martin to announce his arrival at the 140-pound weight class.
After the final bell rang, López got announced as the winner, and he put on a jersey of that night’s Heisman Trophy recipient, USC’s quarterback Caleb Williams. But there was no highlight-reel knockout or viral celebration, just more questions.
Questions about whether López truly deserved the ten-round decision victory. Questions about López’s viability in the 140-pound weight class. After the judges’ scorecards revealed his narrow victory, ESPN’s cameras caught López in a moment of self-doubt, asking his corner, and effectively, a worldwide audience, “Do I still got it?”
Recent reporting says that López’s net worth is around $5 million, but there is no way to know López’s actual finances. Often, the issue boxers who retire run into is running out of money.
Teofimo López going through his divorce adds another complication to his financial situation. But, with his personality and quick wit, Teofimo could get a few endorsement deals, plus he could sign a broadcasting deal with a network or streaming service to either commentate on boxing matches or appear on studio shows as frequently or infrequently as he would like.
Teofimo López is a top-level boxer, and his presence in boxing is good for the sport. But if he indeed chooses to follow through with his retirement, I will be pulling for him. With everything Teofimo has been through in his life, especially in recent years with his mental health challenges and the health scare surrounding the Kambosos fight, maybe retirement from boxing is the best decision for him.
With the countless examples of boxers who continue fighting well after they should have retired, just hanging on for the paycheck, the adrenaline rush, or whatever else drives them, shouldn’t Teofimo López be applauded for deciding to retire on top when he still has his whole life ahead of him?
When Andrew Luck unexpectedly retired from quarterbacking the Indianapolis Colts in 2019, there was much handwringing and finger-wagging, with people repulsed by Luck’s decision or applauding his decision and everything in between.
Four years later (with the Colts having drafted another franchise quarterback in Anthony Richardson), everyone has lived happily ever after, especially Andrew Luck.
If Teofimo López sticks with retirement, I hope he is just as successful in his new pursuits as he was in his boxing career.
After Teofimo López Jr. defeated Josh Taylor to reach the top of the mountain again, he knowingly asked the adoring crowd at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, “Do I still got it?” Lopez has definitely still got it in spades. Even if he trades in his heavy bag for a hammock, Teofimo Lopez will still have it.