Unified Lightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez Makes a Special Request to Mike Tyson

New lightweight king Teofimo Lopez has called upon legendary boxer Mike Tyson for a special request. The undefeated champion wanted to remind everyone of the prestigious honor Tyson gave to him. Although, he did it in the most unusual way possible.

Lopez, who took over the lightweight division with his victory over Vasyl Lomachenko in October 2020, has been reaping in the praises. However, the 23-year-old has now taken the chance to remind everyone of this.

‘The Takeover’ took to Instagram to share a picture of him alongside Mike Tyson. He captioned it, “Hey Mike, please point out the best fighter in the world right now.” 

By doing so, the 16-0 champion showed his confidence in himself. This is because in the picture, ‘Iron Mike’ was pointing to him.

Whether this was actually what they said when they clicked the picture is unknown. It could be a case of Lopez using a well-timed photograph to remind everyone of the time when Tyson called him the best fighter in the world when he signed his belt. However, it could also be how the picture came about.

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Mike Tyson and Teofimo Lopez: The brief history between the pair

This is not the first time ‘Iron Mike’ and ‘The Takeover’ have been in the news together. Both fighters grew up in the tough neighborhoods of Brooklyn; after Lopez beat Lomachenko, Tyson sang his praises for becoming another champion from Brooklyn.

Lopez joined Tyson for one episode on his podcast, ‘Hotboxin with Mike Tyson’. In that meeting, the iconic boxer signed the champion’s WBC belt with the message, “The best fighter in the world.”

This is the instance that Lopez referenced with his latest post.

Many consider Tyson as one of the greatest boxers in the sport’s history. So to get that kind of praise from him shows how good Lopez is. However, in a recent interview with Brendan Schaub, Tyson said Gervonta Davis is the best among the lightweights right now.

What do you make of Teofimo Lopez’s claims? Do you think he’s the best fighter right now?

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