Teofimo Lopez Vows to Become Undisputed Champion but in a New Weight Class

Published 01/05/2022, 2:26 AM EST

2021 wasn’t quite the year for Teofimo Lopez, who suffered his maiden professional defeat and lost his lightweight titles in a massive upset against George Kambosos Jr. in November. It was his first title defense since grabbing all the 135 lbs belts against Vasyl Lomachenko in 2020.

While most of the combat entities had envisioned Lopez successfully defending his titles against Kambosos Jr. it was shocking to see ‘Ferocious’ have his hand raised. However, the latter, who dominated proceedings, rightly earned the win.

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In the aftermath, we may not see Teofimo Lopez restrict himself at 135 lbs anymore. This year, Lopez seems to have outlined his plans to conquer the super lightweight division (140 lbs) and become an undisputed champion over there.

Responding to Top Rank’s recent social media post, Teofimo Lopez wrote, “I will become UNDISPUTED again but at Junior Welterweight!”

I will become UNDISPUTED again but at Junior Welterweight! #TheTakeover https://t.co/N5cxjfUqu6
— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) January 5, 2022

Lopez, a Top Rank staple, walked away from Bob Arum’s stable ahead of his latest outing against George Kambosos Jr; Triller secured the right to his fight via purse bids.

Multiple postponements later, Triller abandoned the fight, and Eddie Hearn instantly picked it up. As Matchroom Promotions hosted the stellar lightweight blockbuster, George Kambosos Jr. advanced his undefeated record and grabbed the world titles in style.

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Teofimo Lopez didn’t agree with the judges’ decision. His father, Lopez Sr., also protested about the outcome and seemed to want to blame Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions for the result. While we can see Teofimo Lopez return to Top Rank, 2022 shall be an important year for his career.

How can Teofimo Lopez become the undisputed champion at 140?

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The current 140 lbs division is under the reign of Josh Taylor, who holds every major world title at super lightweight. Also, Gervonta Davis holds the WBA (regular) belt, which he had earned by vanquishing Mario Barrios in 2021. Hence, Lopez will have to go through ‘The Tartan Tornado’ and ‘Tank’ to become undisputed at 140 lbs.

Josh Taylor will defend his titles against Jack Catterall on February 26. If Catterall lands an upset, Lopez may have to wait for them to re-match.

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His Twitter post can only be taken as a declaration and not an official confirmation. Hence, ‘The Takeover’s next destination is still unknown.

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Written by:

A senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports, Raj Sarkar is a mass media graduate who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to his current role, he has worked with the MMA team at EssentiallySports and has interviewed prominent fighters such as Ritu Phogat and 'The Red King' Rory MacDonald. Combining his bachelor's degree with his adoration for combat sports, he has earned a combined 3000 plus bylines over the last two years.

Teofimo Lopez Vows to Become Undisputed Champion but in a New Weight Class

How can Teofimo Lopez become the undisputed champion at 140?

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