Teofimo Lopez dominated early and finished strong Saturday night to win a unanimous 12-round decision over Vasiiliy Lomachenko to unify the lightweight titles
Lopez took advantage of a slow start by Lomachenko to build up an early lead, then finished the fight with a big 12th round that left Lomachenko bloodied and beaten on the scorecards. The 23-year-old from Brooklyn became the unified lightweight champion and managed to do what few in boxing thought he could do — outbox perhaps the best technician in boxing.
Lopez (16-0) added the three titles held by Lomachenko (15-2) to the belt he won last year to become the undisputed 135-champion.
FILE - In this April 12, 2019, file photo, Vasiliy Lomachenko, left, from Ukraine, hits Anthony Crolla, from Britain, during a WBA and WBO lightweight title boxing match in Los Angeles. In ordinary times Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez would be the fight of the fall, a lightweight title match about as compelling as it gets in the boxing world these days. Instead of a big crowd, the only fans at the MGM Grand conference center will be a few hundred sponsors and first responders with special invites. And, instead of pay-per-view, the fight will be televised live on ESPN, guaranteeing a larger audience than a pay-per-view even if the money isn’t nearly the same. (AP PhotoDamian Dovarganes, File)
Lopez was favored 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112 on ringside scorecards in a bout held without fans at the MGM Grand conference center. The Associated Press had Lopez winning 117-111.
Lopez proved faster and stronger than the 32-year-old Lomachenko, who won two Olympic gold medals as an amateur and was regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters as a pro. Surprisingly enough, he was also the better boxer and proved he could close the show by bloodying Lomachenko’s eye in the 12th round.
“I had to dig deep, man,”' Lopez said. “I'm a fighter, I've got to dig in deep.”
FILE - In this Saturday, April 20, 2019, file photo, Teofimo Lopez, right, punches Finland's Edis Tatli during the first round of a NABF lightweight championship boxing match in New York. In ordinary times Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez would be the fight of the fall, a lightweight title match about as compelling as it gets in the boxing world these days. Instead of a big crowd, the only fans at the MGM Grand conference center will be a few hundred sponsors and first responders with special invites. And, instead of pay-per-view, the fight will be televised live on ESPN, guaranteeing a larger audience than a pay-per-view even if the money isn’t nearly the same. (AP PhotoFrank Franklin II, File)
Lomachenko, ordinarily a slow starter, was too slow this time as he gave away rounds early as he tried to figure out the style of Lopez. By the time the fight got competitive in the eighth round he was too far behind to come back.
“He's been in a 14-month layoff,”' Lopez said. “I knew it was going to take him a long time to catch up.”
Lomachenko, who lost only once in nearly 400 amateur fights and had only one loss as a pro, thought he did better than the scorecards indicated.
“Definitely I am not agreeing with the scorecards,”' he said.
The fight was the biggest since the pandemic began and would have been a pay-per-view event in normal times. But with no fans it was televised on ESPN, providing boxing with a bigger showcase than it would have gotten otherwise.
Lopez was told by his father in the corner before the 12th round that he was ahead and not to risk anything. But he came out strong and beat Lomachenko to the punch.
“I didn't know if they had him up on the scorecards or not,” Lopez said.
Lopez became the youngest fighter to become a four-belt champion in only his second title fight. He had sought the fight against Lomachenko, angering the Ukrainian with his brash tactics.