Newly minted lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez spoke to Kevin Iole from Yahoo Sports following his decision win over Vasyl Lomachenko. The 23-year-old wasn’t favored to pick up the win against ‘Loma’ who is considered as one of the pound for pound best fighters. What’s more, he shed the image that he was solely a heavy-handed power puncher by being able to outbox Vasyl.

Chiefly, the decision on the scorecards was met with some speculation immediately after the fight that the bout would be a draw. Lopez wasn’t too pleased with this narrative following a win he saw as utterly dominant. Moreover, his ability to answer Lomachenko’s aggression at the end of the fight showed his claim to the win.

Teofimo Lopez: “I had minor injuries”

In addition to talks regarding a draw, ‘El Brooklyn’ was quick to push aside some news that recently broke. It was revealed that ‘Hi-Tech’ Lomachenko underwent surgery to his right shoulder on Monday. Lopez spoke on the news and doubled down on the fact that no athlete competes at a 100% optimum level.

“It’s a fight, I think everybody knows if you’re a fighter or an athlete just in general, you’re not a 100% going into a fight. I wasn’t a 100% going into this fight. I had minor injuries and I’m actually gotta get checked out now because of it.”

He said that part of being a champion was being able to overcome the adversity that comes with high-pressure situations. Teofimo Lopez feels like this narrative about Lopez’s injury is being used to take away from his win.

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“Going into this fight, like a true champion. I don’t make excuses, you know, that’s part of it. You’re gonna get hurt in doing what you do. So you’re never gonna be a 100% going into a fight. So for them to try and use and pull that card on us to say that that’s the reason why [he lost], I feel pity for him.”

The combat sports community largely believe that Teofimo’s win was clean and made an emphatic impression. With his recent success, he can now divert his attentions to other young lions like Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia.

Also Read: “Be a Good Baby Sitter”- Henry Cejudo Trolls Teofimo Lopez After Win Over Vasyl Lomachenko