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OXON HILL, MD – JULY 19: Teofimo Lopez walks to his corner after the seventh round of his lightweight IBF World Title Elimination fight against Masayoshi Nakatani (not pictured) at The Theater at MGM National Harbor on July 19, 2019 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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OXON HILL, MD – JULY 19: Teofimo Lopez walks to his corner after the seventh round of his lightweight IBF World Title Elimination fight against Masayoshi Nakatani (not pictured) at The Theater at MGM National Harbor on July 19, 2019 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez once thought that it was a good idea to get punched by former World Strongest Man Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. However, this decision didn’t turn out great for the American boxer.
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Lopez’s title reign was short-lived as he dropped the belt in his first title defense against George Kambosos Jr. The fight was postponed after Lopez caught Covid in June and despite multiple date changes, the fight was booked for November.
The time Lopez got punched by a 350-pound strongman before his title defense
Lopez entered the fight as a heavy favorite but was in for a surprise as were the fans of the sport. In one of boxing’s biggest upsets, Kambosos managed to beat the American boxer via a split decision to become the unified lightweight champion. There have been many speculations as to why Lopez lost. One of them was the body shot challenge he did with Björnsson or ‘The Mountain’. It was speculated that Lopez suffered from a bruised ribcage after taking the shot which definitely had an effect on him during the fight.
When Teófimo López took a body shot from ‘The Mountain’ 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/M6f3SCQCB4
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) December 6, 2022
This was not all as a resurfaced clip of this shot recently showed the impact Lopez had after being hit. Moreover, this left the fans stunned as they reacted to this clip.
Fans react to Teofimo Lopez getting punched by The Mountain
One fan speculated that Lopez might have ended up with a collapsed lung after taking that punch.
Ended up with a collapsed lung
— Stevie (@CultAvoider) December 6, 2022
Another fan stated that even one of the most famous magicians and stuntmen of all time, Houdini would not approve of this stunt.
Houdini doesn’t approve
— Daryl (@DoctorObins) December 6, 2022
Another fan pointed out that Lopez got beat by Kambosos just a week after this shot.
And then got beat off Kambosos a couple of weeks after
— Luke Bernard-Haigh (@50shadesofhaigh) December 6, 2022
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Another fan claimed that he had lung issues in his next fight which might have had something to do with this challenge.
And then he ended up with lung issues in his next fight…🙈 https://t.co/433NhCLCC5
— Mark (@mark_jones258) December 6, 2022
Lastly, one fan explained why doing such challenges before a fight could have a great effect on the fight. In addition, he added that the biggest mistake a boxer could make is to think he is invincible.
That’s a big part of boxing history ladies and gentlemen. And I’m not joking. Teo made one mistake in his career and that was thinking he was invincible. This body shot challenge is not a very good idea for a professional about to fight https://t.co/lNb3nikard
— Will (🥊💯🔥) lynch (@Will_boxingfan) December 6, 2022
Although, it is only speculation that the shot might have directly affected Lopez’s performance. However, it would be ignorant to say that this punch did not have any effect on his fight with Kambosos and even his career after that.
Do you think Lopez should have done this challenge before a title defense? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by
Edited by
Arijit Saha