The Rise and Fall (and Rise?) of Teofimo Lopez

Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) steps into the ring on Saturday against unheralded and relatively unknown Canadian, Steve Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KOs) at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. The small arena holds about 4,500 people, with an expected crowd of around 2,500 to 3,000. Claggett, 35, has been a pro for almost 16 years and is getting his first career title shot while fighting in a 12-rounder for the first time in 48 bouts. It’s a lackluster fight against a lackluster opponent in front of what will be a lackluster crowd.

This is a far cry from where Teofimo Lopez stood just four years ago. In October 2020, Lopez was the brash, exciting, up-and-coming future superstar of boxing. Fresh off a dominant victory against pound-for-pound stalwart Vasyl Lomachenko to unify the WBA, IBF, and WBO lightweight titles, Lopez seemed destined for superstardom. He beat Lomachenko convincingly from the first bell and throughout every round, culminating in a near-stoppage in the final round, if not for questionable refereeing by Russell Mora. This was the fight that was to catapult Lopez into the limelight, with big fights, big purses, and big pay-per-view events on the horizon.

What transpired next left many in the boxing world bewildered. Lopez was ordered to defend his unified title against IBF mandatory challenger George Kambosos. What should have been an easy fight to make turned into a melodrama that revealed a rift between Lopez and his promoter, Top Rank. The crux of the issue was a disagreement over Lopez’s worth financially. Never one to mince words, Lopez publicly called out Top Rank for disrespecting him. The fight ended up going to a purse bid, with fledgling upstart promotion Triller winning the rights for $6 million. Top Rank had bid a paltry $2.3 million, while Matchroom Boxing bid $3.5 million. It seemed a huge victory for Lopez, proving his worth beyond the minimum his contract offered.

However, Triller defaulted on their bid, leaving the bid to Matchroom at nearly half of what Lopez was set to make. The fight itself was a disaster for Lopez, as he was knocked down en route to losing a decision and his unified titles to the relatively unknown Kambosos. Kambosos, coming off back-to-back questionable victories, was not expected to offer any resistance to the then-undefeated Lopez.

Lopez’s issues with Top Rank didn’t end with the Kambosos fight. He consistently complained about the direction of his career, the offers he received, and the money he was being paid. Lopez even suggested that Top Rank favored African American fighters over him, which led to a backlash among black boxing fans. His frequent use of racial slurs towards black fighters like Devin Haney and Gervonta “Tank” Davis further strained his image. His promoter, Bob Arum, and many boxing observers believe Lopez has an outsized opinion of his commercial standing in the sport. He doesn’t drive revenue at the gate or on pay-per-view, and he has developed a reputation for being notoriously difficult to work with. Failed negotiations for fights against Ryan García and a refusal to fight Shakur Stevenson have left many wondering about his future in the sport.

The souring of his promotional relationship with Top Rank was not the only broken relationship in Lopez’s life. He also had a falling out with one of his best friends in boxing, Rolando “Rolly” Romero. Lopez attacked Romero on social media in defense of Oscar De La Hoya, calling Romero a “fake champion” and vowing to handle him for De La Hoya. The rift seemed to stem from jealousy after Romero captured the WBA junior welterweight title, surprising many, including Romero himself.

The turmoil in Lopez’s life extended beyond the ring. His marriage to Cynthia ended in a divorce after two years, marred by allegations of domestic abuse, infidelity, and custodial interference. Although never made public, those close to the former couple say Lopez’s erratic behavior and mental instability led to the breakdown of their relationship. One incident reportedly involved Lopez choking a then-pregnant Cynthia, leading to their separation and subsequent divorce proceedings. Lopez has been vocal about the impact of the divorce, lamenting the loss of his son and half of his earnings.

Despite these setbacks, Lopez has been back on the winning trail since the Kambosos loss, though not always impressively. He secured a notable win against former undisputed champion Josh Taylor for the WBO junior welterweight title, putting on a great performance. However, Taylor’s credibility was questioned after a controversial loss to Jack Catterall, who later beat Taylor decisively in a rematch. Lopez’s victory over Taylor was thus seen as less impressive in light of these circumstances. Additionally, Lopez was on the receiving end of a controversial win against Sandor Martin, in which he famously questioned, “Do I still got it?”—a telling sign of his crisis of confidence. His last bout, against Jamaine Ortiz, was another contentious decision, with many observers believing Ortiz deserved the win.

Now, Lopez defends his title against Steve Claggett in what many see as a nothing fight. It’s a lose-lose situation for Lopez: he stands to gain little from beating Claggett, but risks losing even more standing in the sport if he doesn’t perform convincingly. The interest in Lopez isn’t so much in this fight, but in what the future holds for him. Bob Arum has identified WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. as a possible next opponent. While that fight would give Lopez a chance at a title in a third weight class, it’s a fight wouldn’t significantly boost his profile.

The question remains whether Teofimo Lopez is content living off his one big win from four years ago and fighting in low-profile bouts or if he is willing to do what is necessary to secure big fights that matter. Only Lopez knows the answer.