Teofimo Lopez Dismisses His Performance Against Sandor Martin By Vowing To Become A ‘Unified World Champion’ At 140

Teofimo Lopez, the former unified lightweight champion, is adamant that his tight fight with Sandor Martin was a one-off. 

Teofimo Lopez Dismisses His Under Par Performance Against Sandor Martin By Vowing To Become A ‘Unified World Champion’ At 140

The 140-pound contender vowed to showcase a better version of himself when he takes on the bigger names in the division. Lopez had a difficult time against the shrewd Spanish boxer during their 10-round match at Madison Square Garden.

The fight was mainly quiet, aside from an abrupt knockdown Lopez experienced in the second round. Martin, a southpaw, rarely attempted to engage, while Lopez struggled to get close. With the bout over, one judge had Martin shading it at 94-95.

However, the remaining two gave the victory to Lopez. Following the fight, Lopez criticised Martin for ‘running’ and then made the news when a microphone from ESPN captured him asking his team, “Do I still got it?”

Many observers stress that Lopez has not been the same since his success against Vasiliy Lomachenko. In 2021, he was unexpectedly beaten by George Kambosos Jr. in a shock result. The 25-year-old Lopez, though, begged to differ.

When speaking about his performance to ‘ESPN+’s The State of Boxing’, Lopez said: “All he’s trying to do is survive in there and try not to get knocked out.

“People are going to speak on whatever they want to speak on. I’m fighting for a world title next. I’m trying to come back in April and have three fights next year. So, I look forward to becoming a unified world champion by the end of [next] year at 140.”

When Lopez was pressed as to why he was so sure, he outlined that styles ultimately make fights: “Every person that has tried to come and fight me have all been hurt and dropped.

“Each person. Anyone that boxes us, we find different ways to beat them, absolutely. What Sandor Martin did was not boxing either. All he did was run.”

It is ultimately all about winning, but for Lopez, he has to make sure that he looks good too.