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Teofimo Lopez was soundly defeated by Shakur Stevenson this weekend at Madison Square Garden, relinquishing his WBO super lightweight world title in the process.
After the game, Lopez was interviewed trodden ground About what he felt was wrong.
“I was too focused on one specific thing and not really enjoying the opening that I saw. I caught him with body shots a lot, which was effective, but (I needed) more combinations. I did a poor job because I wasn’t listening to my team. That’s my responsibility. Own it. My team did a great job, they had great coaching and instructions, I just didn’t listen tonight… I knew his jab… I was playing too much into his game, that’s all.”
While the fighter himself thought the guidelines were “great,” his father and trainer Teofimo Lopez Sr. was heavily criticized for poor corner work between rounds, failing to issue clear instructions and instead yelling things like “You’re going to hate yourself tomorrow.”
Lopez opened up about his overall feelings after the game, remaining humble in defeat and refusing to appreciate the truly impressive accomplishments that got him to this moment.
“(Getting here) is an accomplishment in itself. Now where do we take it? We’ll see. I think it’s more about healing this wound and getting back to the drawing board. See where we go and what I do next if I move up.”
“No, not at all (I don’t appreciate what I’ve done in my career). I hate myself, but that’s part of it. It’s just part of life. I don’t appreciate it. I think I was slaughtered and I think God punished me a lot for that. I was just a punching bag. Maybe one day I’ll make it Point, but not yet. It’s all good. I just never got my fair share of it, man. But, hey, it’s just my journey. We’ll be back in some way, some form… I’m in a good position to take it like a true champion.”
Fans can wait a while to hear what Lopez does next. As for Stevenson, he called out Conor Ben, a move that will see him move up in weight again.
