Gabe Rosado is giving challenger Arnold Barboza Jr. the edge against WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez in their 12-round undercard fight on May 2nd on the Fatal Fury card on DAZN PPV at Times Square in New York City.
Teofimo’s Layoff
Rosado feels that Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) is in a “rhythm” right now with his career because he’s been active and beating good opposition lately. In his last two fights, Barboza beat Jack Catterall and Jose Ramirez. He’s catching Teo coming off a near one-year layoff.
Gabe says Barboza’s skills and his recent wins over Catterall and Ramirez overseas are going to give him enough of an edge to defeat Lopez.
“I’m thinking Barboza has the slight edge just because he’s on rhythm. He’s active. He’s busy. Teofimo has been out of the ring for a while, and I just think Teofimo is a rhythm fighter. So being out for so long can probably hurt him,” said Gabe Rosado to Fight Hub TV, picking Arnold Barboza Jr. to defeat Teofimo Lopez on May 2nd at Times Square in New York City.
As long as Barboza doesn’t get hit with one of Teofimo’s big shots early, he’s got a good chance of winning. Lopez is at his best early in his fights when he’s at full strength. He goes downhill as the fights progress, and loses a lot of the snap on his power shots.
“Teo is a special fighter with special abilities. It’s tough to beat him, but the time now is to beat him just because he’s been inactive. So, I think Barboza has been so busy that his confidence is sky high. So, now is the time. Barboza has him in the right spot,” said Gabe.
Lopez is coming off an 11-month layoff since his fight against Steve Claggett last June, and he hasn’t fought a solid fighter since February of last year, when he won a close 12-round unanimous decision against Jamaine Ortiz. He did not perform well in that fight, losing almost every exchange with Ortiz and getting lucky with the judging. Barboza Jr. is definitely catching Teo at the right moment and has an excellent chance of winning.
Technical Advantage
“Barboza has the technique to control that power and speed. He has fundamentals. So, what beats speed and all that being unorthodox? Remember. Remember Naseem Hamed with the speed, power, and all that? When he fought [Marco Antonio] Barrera, Barrera was technically sound. He jabbed and controlled Hamed because he was technically sound, and he was on rhythm,” said Gabe
The way that Barboza Jr. neutralized the tricky style of Jake Catterall earlier this year in Manchester was impressive. Barboza Jr. avoided many of the sharp counters from Catterall and beat him in front of his fans by a 12-round split decision. Teofimo’s shots are a lot easier to predict than Catterall’s. If Arnold could do that to this guy, he’ll do the same against Teo, and dethrone him on May 2nd.
“So, that’s what we could possibly see with Teo and Barboza. Barboza’s skills and fundamentals keeping Teofimo at bay. He’s not going to fall for feints, and he’s not going to be overly aggressive. He’s going to be patient, he’s going to take his time, and he’s going to jab. I like Teo. I like his skills. I think he’s a fun fighter to watch, but I think Barboza is on a roll right now.
“He’s the one with the confidence. He went overseas, won a title, and beat [Jose] Ramirez overseas as well. So, he’s locked in. When a fighter is locked in and active, they’re dangerous,” said Rosado.
Last Updated on 04/21/2025
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