Lineal junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) will defend his WBO and Ring Magazine titles tonight against Jamaine Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs) at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ortiz appears ready and primed to challenge Lopez and vows to knock him out. He is a dangerous opponent whose output and ability to switch stance from orthodox to southpaw can create defensive challenges for Teofimo.
Jamaine Ortiz boxed well against master tactician Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3-1, 11 KOs), smothering him with his offensive output, but for as well as he performed against him, Teofimo did much better. Teofimo landed the most punches ever scored in a round against Loma, landing 50 punches in the 12th round of their undisputed match (Compubox).
When Teofimo is at his best, he appears unbeatable, but when he allows off-the-ring issues to affect his in-ring performance, he is not as dominant. He struggled against opponents he should have easily defeated George Kambosos Jr. (21-2, 12 KOs) and Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs). In both those matches, he struggled offensively and suffered a knockdown in both.
Teofimo Lopez returned to form against former lineal champion Josh Taylor, outboxing him to a 12-round unanimous decision victory. Lopez claims that his trials and tribulations inside and outside of the ring have made him a stronger and better person.
He is now much more philosophical and states he is a better version of himself. At the final press conference, he brought with him a book by Shannon Lee titled “Be Water My Friend.” The book is based on the teachings of Shannon’s father, Bruce Lee.
If Teofimo can incorporate those teachings into his boxing and be, as Bruce Lee says, “formless,” he’ll be able to adapt effectively and diminish any opponent’s attack. Ortiz is moving up a division and will compete in his first match at 140 pounds.
He hasn’t faced a strong puncher since his match against Joseph Adorno (18-3-2, 15 KOs) in 2020. Adorno dropped him twice in their 8th-round fight. Adorno’s left sided punches did the most damage connecting on numerous devastating punches.
It was a left hook that gave Jamaine a bloody nose and a left hook in the 2nd that dropped him as well. It was also a left uppercut that led to Jamaine being knocked down in the 7th round.
Ortiz’s high output rate creates many openings that Teofimo can capitalize on. If he does, he’ll inflict greater damage than Adorno.
Ortiz throws the jab at a high rate, making him susceptible to counters, Lomachenko exploited his predictable jab and countered him effectively. If Teofimo can continue and improve upon his last performance, he should be able to diminish Jamaine’s offense and punish him with his left.
Jamaine’s strength won’t hinder Teofimo’s offense or make him tentative to stay in the pocket. Jamaine will seek to make it a boxing match and stay on the outside.
Teofimo needs to apply the pressure, keep him on his back foot, and overwhelm Jamaine with his offense. This is Teofimo’s fight to lose, and if he’s at his best, he will be victorious.
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