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Teofimo Lopez Aiming To Steal The Show From Crawford-Khan

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Teofimo Lopez Aiming To Steal The Show From Crawford-Khan

Manager David McWater attended the Tuesday media gathering at the Everybody Fights gym on 41st St and Madison Ave, and shared with NYFights about what the near future could hold for Teofimo Lopez, the hottest prospect in the pugilism sphere.

Lopez, born in Brooklyn, gets viral traction from every fight, as his kayoes inspire ahhhs and dropped jaws. That occured when he demolished William Silva…

Mason Menard…

 

and then Diego Magdaleno..

in February.

On Saturday, will we see that again, when the 12-0 21 year old faces off with 31-2 Edis Tatli, a 31 year old from Kosovo, who has never been dropped.

Wait, what? OK, there's a hook to this bout …The guy has not been put down. Yep, they are all aware Tatli hasn't been dropped, McWater said. “I'm not disrespecting this guy, he's a very good European fighter. If Teofimo is who we think he is, he's not gonna last, this is gonna be eye opening for him. They don't have anyone in Europe like this, they don't have anybody in America like this!” Lopez wants to be a show stealer, every time out, yes? “He tries to steal every show… Teofimo wants his moment in the sun, like every really competitive person.”

And if and when Lopez downs Tatli…

Edis Tatli is a heavy underdog versus Lopez April 20; he likely doesn't have the power to keep the prospect off of him.

Edis Tatli is a heavy underdog versus Lopez April 20; he likely doesn't have the power to keep the prospect off of him.

…what could come next? “July, we definitely want to come back in July, wherever they want, we don't care. We're hoping we'll either get a shot at Richard Commey, or the vacant WBC title. It depends on Mikey Garcia. We hear rumors he's gonna vacate.”

And will we see Teofimo be headlining that MSG Theater soon? “I think soon,” McWater said. “I think December, I can't speak for Top Rank, but I suspect maybe they'll let us headline the Heisman show this year.”

Lopez himself continued to show the same youthful vibrancy that comes with being able to punch with scary power. The pop made when his 16 ouncers hit the pads worn by dad were louder than anyone elses displayed at the workout, for the record. And Lopez made the rounds of media, as a most sought after figure. He took question from Brit media, who asked if he'd be fighting Luke Campbell after Tatli. “That would be great, it would be lovely, and if we can do it for vacant WBC belt, that would be lovely,” Lopez told a British pressman.

Damn right I'd do it in the UK, that would grow my brand overseas, he shared. “We're about to take the throne, a couple years from now!”

I chatted with Lopez more after that and he said maybe he'd headline the big room, not the theater, depending on who he'd be having standing across from him. Hmmm, that counds like a Loma reference.

His dad didn't shy away, he was saying that Loma is running from Team Lopez and that his kid would love to face off with the Ukrainian ace ASAP.

He ain't alone; I told Lopez that I'm with him and his dad–if he believes in himself, and wants to try Loma so soon, even after the Tatli fight, let's see if his confidence is merited. That level of belief in self is intriguing as hell. OK, he hasn't faced a who's who of the best and brightest yet, but what he's done to the people he's scrapped with…Yeah, let's see if he can skip a step, and do a rocket ride up the ladder by pulling the upset on a masterful pugilist like Loma.

Big room, here they come…Book it, Bob!

 

Listen to Teofimo and his dad on the Everlast “Talkbox” podcast here.

Founder/editor Michael Woods got addicted to boxing in 1990, when Buster Douglas shocked the world with his demolition of the then-impregnable Mike Tyson. The Brooklyn-based journalist has covered the sport since for ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, Bad Left Hook and RING. His journalism career started with NY Newsday in 1999. Michael Woods is also an accomplished blow by blow and color man, having done work for Top Rank, DiBella Entertainment, EPIX, and for Facebook Fightnight Live, since 2017.