Amid inner turmoil and pre-fight chaos, Teofimo Lopez Jr. reminds every one just how great he can be in win
CBSN
The new champion had a bevy of personal issues to deal with, but he turned in an astounding performance on Saturday
When Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. was asked in 2018 whether there has ever been a dynamic and athletic boxer who reminds him of himself, the former four-division champion paused before sharing a surprising name: Teofimo Lopez Jr.
Lopez, at the time, was an unbeaten lightweight prospect who had not yet shocked the world by upsetting pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko to become the unified champion of the division. Four years later, however, Lopez entered the ring on Saturday against WBO junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor amid a growing suspicion he had become damaged goods at age 25 after a series of inflammatory remarks and bizarre behavior that had many questioning his sanity.
As it turned out, it would've been apropos had Lopez simply walked to the ring inside the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York to the tune of Jones' 2002 hip hop anthem "Ya'll Must've Forgot" as foreshadowing for the masterful display that was to come.
