Richardson Hitchins says he sees Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr. as a 60-40 or 50-50 fight for their 12-round match on May 2nd at Times Square in New York City. Hitchins feels that Teo has talent, and athleticism going for him, but isn’t strategic the way Barboza Jr. is.
Teo: Unstable?
He doesn’t come into a fight with a great game plan like Barboza Jr. and sometimes falls apart mentally when dealing with adversity. We saw that in Lopez’s fights against George Kambosos Jr., Sandor Martin, and Jamaine Ortiz. He was like a complete basketcase in those matches.
When things are going Teofimo’s way, he’s excellent, but he just unravels when his opponents start having success. If you’ve ever seen someone that just comes unglued, that’s how it looks. They snap and start doing weird stuff. We’ve seen a lot of that from Lopez in his fights where things weren’t going his way.
Teofimo (21-1, 13 KOs) will have his WBO light welterweight title at stake against the unbeaten Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) on the card, as well as a potential fight against IBF 147-lb champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in October. Losing to Barboza Jr. could result in Teofimo not getting the Boots fight, but it might work in Hitchins’ favor. He will likely be the plan B option for Turki Alalshikh to use if Lopez loses to Barboza Jr.
Turki Alalshikh hinted today that the outcome of Teo, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney’s fights on the May 2nd card will determine what he has for them in October. In other words, they got to win for his planned fights to happen. That’s a lot of pressure on each of them, but especially for Lopez because he’s least effective at handling stress as Ryan and Haney.
Barboza: Strategic Mind
I think it’s a 60-40 or 50-50 fight. 60-40 for Teo or 50-50,” said Richardson Hitchins to Matchroom Boxing, talking about the Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr. fight on May 2nd in New York City. “Barboza is not flashy. He’s kind of ordinary, but he does have good timing and has a lot of experience.
“I watch him and I’m like, ‘He’s solid.’ Barboza is solid. I was very impressed how he beat Jack Catterall because he has a style where he can make anyone look bad. Barboza came with the right game plan. So, he’s a guy coming with a strong game plan, and I think Teofimo relies more on his talent and athleticism.
“I don’t think he’s a strategic guy. I think Barboza has been wanting a fight for so long since they were with Top Rank. I think Teofimo is in for a fight,” said Hitchins.
“I think he’s definitely in for a fight. It’s one where I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes any type of way. It’s a really good fight,” said ring announcer David Diamante about the Teofimo vs. Barboza Jr. clash. “It’s very competitive.”
Last Updated on 03/14/2025
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