Of all the fights scheduled for this loaded weekend of boxing, Friday’s clash between Teofimo Lopez and Arnold Barboza Jr. may be the most intriguing. Lopez will be defending his WBO junior welterweight championship against Barboza, who is on an impressive run of success when the two square off at Times Square in New York (6 p.m. ET, DAZN PPV — Buy Now).
To hear Barboza tell it, Lopez put off their fight for too long and now faces a far more dangerous version of Barboza. His confidence is easy to understand. This past September, Barboza picked up the biggest win of his career to that point, taking a decision win over former unified junior welterweight champion Jose Ramirez. He then followed that up with an even bigger win, decisioning Jack Catterall in February.
“I feel like a prospect again fighting every other month,” Barboza said in an interview with The Ring. “But I am staying busy with big fights and it’s the worst time for him to fight me. He should have fought me when I was begging for the fight four years ago. I think he had a better chance. But I’ve found the recipe now, and the train is going and we’re not stopping.”
Lopez is a complicated fighter to figure out. On any given day he can look like one of the most dynamic fighters in the world or give a disappointing and listless performance against an opponent he should overwhelm.
After becoming unified lightweight champion with an impressive 2020 win over Vasiliy Lomachenko, Lopez dropped his next fight to heavy underdog George Kambosos Jr.
Two fights after the Kambosos loss, Lopez was gifted a very controversial decision over Sandor Martin. Lopez then dominated Josh Taylor before winning a controversial decision over Jamaine Ortiz.
Lopez’s uneven performances have been chalked up to many things. He has a volatile relationship with his family, including his father, who continues to work in Lopez’s corner. At times, Lopez seems disinterested in boxing and has claimed to retire — or be on the verge of retirement — several times. Those mental issues have even cropped up in situations like the loss to Kambosos, which Lopez claimed was him being robbed as a result of boxing politics, despite that he clearly lost the fight, and that the involved promoters would obviously prefer their A-side fighter remain undefeated with three world titles.
Despite all of that, Lopez is an extremely talented fighter and capable of beating anyone on any given day. Lopez expects that talent to shine on Friday.
“We’re going to go out there and do what I have to do,” Lopez said during the fighters’ grand arrivals this week. “I’m going to have fun and beat the brick out of this boy.”
Where to watch Lopez vs. Barboza
- Date: May 2 | Location: Times Square, New York
- Start time: 6 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: DAZN PPV (Buy Now)
- PPV Price: $59.99 (Get a discounted rate when you purchase Friday’s card and Saturday’s card together)
- Odds: Lopez -286 vs. Barboza +205
Lopez vs. Barboza prediction, pick
It feels as though every Lopez fight comes down to the same thing: What version of Teofimo shows up this time? Barboza is a good fighter, with a fair argument as the top man in the division despite not holding a world title. Barboza has also spent years chasing a Lopez fight that didn’t materialize while both were fighting under the Top Rank banner. It took Barboza leaving Top Rank and winning the WBO interim belt to force Lopez into the fight, and Barboza is expressing a lot of confidence that he’ll make good on the opportunity.
Despite Barboza’s skills, Lopez is probably the better fighter, and he’s a favorite for that reason. But will Lopez fall into the same old traps with his mental game? Will he struggle if Barboza doesn’t walk forward, as he has against men like Martin and Ortiz? Lopez showed an inability to effectively cut off the ring against those fighters and then complained after the fight that he couldn’t fight effectively if an opponent was “running” from him.
There’s plenty of intrigue coming into the fight and so much of it comes down to whether Lopez performs to his capabilities or not. For the sake of a prediction, we’ll assume the A-side is able to do the better work over 12 rounds to earn a close decision victory. Pick: Teofimo Lopez via SD
This news was originally published on this post .
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