Who wouldn’t want to train under the tutelage of one of boxing’s finest coaches? Definitely not WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez. After Ryan Garcia recently revealed his reunion with Eddy Reynoso had to be put on hold due to current circumstances, ‘The Takeover’ announced even his partnership with the former trainer of the year award winner has to come to an end for the time being. 

While Garcia had left Reynoso’s camp previously years ago before returning earlier this year, Lopez named Reynoso his co-trainer in November last year hoping to train under the veteran trainer for his next fight. Both Garcia and Lopez have fights lined up on the same card in Times Square, New York card on May 2. However, Reynoso is currently focused on the biggest name in his stable—unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, who is bound for a trip to Saudi Arabia. Canelo will fight IBF super middleweight champion William Scull on May 3 in Riyadh. This is the presumable reason the logistics of training Garcia, Lopez, and Canelo at the same time has become a daunting task for the renowned trainer. He was forced to make a decision and chose Alvarez who has been under his tutelage since Reynoso’s father handed him the reigns years ago.

While the decision is understandable for Reynoso, it doesn’t mean it didn’t affect Lopez. In a previous interview, Lopez broke the news to his fans that he won’t be training with Reynoso alongside father Teofimo Lopez Sr. ‘The Takeover’ elaborated on this point recently while appearing in an interview with Punsh Drunk Boxing. “It could be a lot of things,” Lopez said about why Reynoso couldn’t train him for the upcoming fight against Arnold Barboza Jr. “Maybe, just the timeframe, but maybe it could be the promoting. I don’t know. They didn’t really elaborate… I don’t know if we did something wrong, or whatever the case be, or they just focused on their stuff.”

Whatever the reason behind their separation, for the time being, Lopez was disappointed and hurt. “Am I disappointed about it? Yeah, I am. But I take it as competition,” he told Punsh Drunk Boxing. “This s**t hurts, That s**t hurts. This s**t hurts. But I’m being real with y’all, even though it hurts a little bit, because I care. I love Canelo and their team. Don’t blame me as anything else than what it is. I’m the best fighter.”

Now, the question is, can the change in training assistance affect Lopez’s fight against Barboza Jr.?

Teofimo Lopez warned about losing to Arnold Barboza Jr.

Teofimo Lopez has been warned that he could be in for a tough night against Arnold Barboza Jr. on May 2nd in Times Square. Despite being favored by oddsmakers, IBF super lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins believes Lopez is “liable to lose” if he’s not fully focused. Lopez has thrived as an underdog, with standout performances against Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor.

However, when expected to dominate, like against Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz, his performances have been underwhelming. Barboza has earned his title shot the hard way, beating top contenders Jose Ramirez and Jack Catterall. Hitchins, who hoped to face Lopez himself, gave Barboza credit. “I think Barboza’s not on my level, I don’t believe so, but I think if he’s not on his game, he can be a spoiler,” Hitchins told Sean Zittel.

It appears this temporary separation from trainer Eddy Reynoso has affected Teofimo Lopez deeply. It’s yet to be seen whether it has affected him enough to show its lingering side effects during the Barboza fight in May. What do you make of the situation?