During the first three rounds of the world title bout, Lopez was in control as he used his jab and touched the body of Romero. Late in the fourth round, Romero landed a check left hook that knocked Lopez off balance.
In the fifth round, Rolly got more aggressive, and as a result, he landed a big left hook that produced a cut over Teofimo’s right eye.
Seconds later, Romero connected with a vicious overhand right that buckled Lopez’s knees.
Romero followed the big right hand with a flurry of shots, but Lopez was able to survive the round. Lopez bounced back in the sixth as he returned to his game plan of working off the jab and attacking the body.
Lopez continued to apply intelligent pressure in the seventh as he landed a solid right hand. As round seven was coming to a close, Romero caught Lopez with a powerful check left hook.
For the remainder of the WBA welterweight title bout, Teofimo Lopez fought a smart and very disciplined fight. Despite the low punch output, Rolly had the more eye-catching shots, but Teofimo outworked him and won by majority decision.
With the victory, Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez (23-2, 13 KOs) became a three-division world champion. As soon as Lopez was announced as the winner, the boxing community was seeking the answer to the proverbial question: What’s next?
During the post-fight press conference, Teofimo Lopez spoke about his future and the path he plans to travel in his boxing journey.
“I think I’m here, this is the road to undisputed, you know what I’m saying? I’m here to reclaim and collect all of the next world titles, and whoever the next champion is, that’s what it’s all about.”
Teofimo Lopez went on to say, “Honestly, I got four fights with, well now three fights with DAZN, and all of them are the road to undisputed. We’re going right to every world title.”
Currently, the world champions in the welterweight division are Teofimo Lopez (WBA), Devin Haney (WBO), Ryan Garcia (WBC), and Liam Paro (IBF). In his quest to become undisputed, the first step for Lopez is to become a unified world champion.
If Lopez wants what looks like the softer touch, a unification bout with IBF champion Liam Paro may be next. If Lopez wants a fight that is going to be a big event, then he may want to pursue a bout with the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn winner.
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