Teofimo Lopez is confident he’ll retain his WBO light welterweight title against Steve Claggett this Saturday night at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.
Claggett’s Unexpected Opportunity
Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) says #8 WBO Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KOs) thanked him for allowing him to challenge for his title during their face-off today at their final press conference, and it’s not surprising. Teofimo clarifies that he won’t go easy on Claggett despite him thanking him profusely for the opportunity.
The 34-year-old Claggett is getting a once-in-a-lifetime world title shot that he hasn’t earned yet. He is being given a shot over higher-ranked fighters who have been waiting years for a chance.
Some would see this move as Teofimo, 26, being kept protected, but he claims that none of the top fighters were willing to fight him. Teofimo’s #1 contender, Arnold Barboza Jr., isn’t one of them. He’s been pushing for a fight against Teofimo for some time, and #2 Jack Catterall is another fighter who has wanted a title shot.
Lopez Sr. Voices Unwavering Belief in His Son
“There’s levels to this. We’re not losing to a guy with seven men on this planet that beat him. There’s no seven men on the planet that are better than my son or even one,” said Teofimo Lopez Sr. to Fight Hub TV, talking about how Teofimo Jr. won’t be losing to Steven Claggett, who has beaten seven times in his career.
In the minds of fans, Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz showed that they were better than Teofimo. We already saw that George Kambosos Jr. had his number in his victory over Teofimo in 2021. Teofimo is a good fighter, but he’s not unbeatable and certainly not the best at 140. He should be level above Claggett, but you can’t rule out an upset if he’s put under pressure.
“We’re at a high level right now where are expectations at 26-years-old. He has so much to give to the sport still. He’s not even in his prime, and this is a fight that we’re not taking lightly,” Teofimo Sr. continued about his son, Lopez.
Teofimo is still young and capable of beating many fighters, but he’s not looked dominant since moving up to 140. His power isn’t as impressive in this weight class as it was at 135, and the money he’s made in recent years may be one reason why he’s not as good.
It’s a fight on paper that should be easy for Teofimo, but you never know with him. He’s struggled in several of his fights in the last four years, and he was supposed to win with ease, yet he was pushed to the brink.
Some would argue that Teofimo is mentally weak and doesn’t react well when his opponents come to win. We saw how Teo crumbled against George Kambosos Jr. when he put him under pressure and mentally broke him.
“We always fight like we’re fighting the best. I know what my son is going to do that night, and what it is just entertain the public,” said Teofimo Sr. “That’s what we do. We entertain. The Takeover is here. We’re not going nowhere, and he’s looking amazing.”
Teofimo is going to have to be consistent in entertaining the public and looking impressive. In his last fight against Jamaine Ortiz, Teo was hot and cold throughout the fight. Ortiz lit Teofimo up in the first eight rounds, schooling him like no one had ever done.
It was hard to watch how overmatched Teofimo looked because he didn’t come close to winning any of the rounds. It wasn’t until the ninth that he started to come on track and land some shots. Even then, Ortiz was better and outboxing him.
“There’s a lot of crazy people out there who would put a million dollars just to get a hundred grand,” said Teofimo Sr. about the odds being stacked in their favor to defeat the fringe contender Claggett.
“He thanked me for the opportunity,” said Teofimo on what Claggett said to him during their face-off today at the final press conference. “It’s not really confidence. It’s someone that is excited.”
Of course, Claggett is thankful for the chance because he’s not young or ranked highly with the WBO. He’s never beaten anyone notable to be given a title shot, and he’s been picked more because he’s a safe opponent.
“I said, ‘I didn’t overlook you,’ and he said, ‘I appreciate that,’” said Teofimo on his exchange with Claggett.
