Trainer Robert Garcia is picking Arnold Barboza Jr. to upset WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez in their fight on DAZN PPV at Times Square. Robert says that Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) is on a strong run with several good wins going into tonight’s fight.
He feels that gives him the edge against Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs), who took a lot of punishment in his last fight against fringe contender Steve Claggett. At the end of that contest, Teofimo looked like Rocky Balboa, with both eyes swollen up.
His promoter, Bob Arum, didn’t look happy at the end. Who can blame him? This was supposed to be a confidence booster for Lopez after his terrible performance against Jamaine Ortiz.
Why Barboza Can Win
“He’s a character in boxing, and he’s good for the sport. That’s him. If we see the Teofimo that beat Lomachenko and beat Josh Taylor, then we’re going to see a great performance,” said trainer Robert Garcia to Fighthype, giving his thoughts on tonight’s fight between Teofimo Lopez and Arnold Barboza Jr.
Teofimo is one of those guys who has increased his popularity with his interviewers and over-the-top behavior during press conferences. However, when he’s mentally off, hie can be beaten. That might happen tonight.
“We’ve seen Teofimo against Sandor Martin and against Kambosos, who didn’t show up. So, that’s what our question is. Which Teofimo are we going to see? I know Barboza is in great shape. He’s motivated to win. He’s on a good run with a few good wins. You also have to consider that. That’s going to be a very close fight. I got to go with Barboza.”
Robert Garcia isn’t the only one picking Barboza Jr. Many boxing fans see him winning, too, because Teofimo has been too unreliable in the last four years. He’s hot-and-cold and too unpredictable to be counted on. Barboza will beat him if he has another one of his off nights tonight, provided he’s not given the business.
Teo has looked like a complete wacko job inside the ring in half of his last six fights. His fight against Vasily Lomachenko in 2020 was the last one where he looked like his old self.
The judges saved Teo in his fights against Jamaine Ortiz and Sandor Martin. He should have lost both of those fights, putting his record at 19-3 going into tonight’s match against Barboza Jr. That would still be an excellent record for a contender-level fighter, but not for a world champion. Teofimo wouldn’t be the WBO 140-lb champion if not for the judges bailing him out twice in the Sandor and Jamaine fights.
Hook Isn’t Enough
“I think that’s going to be a pretty good fight. Rolly is game,” said Robert about the headliner between Ryan Garcia and Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero tonight. “He [Rolly] doesn’t care much. He’s more like a street fighter. He hits hard and has a lot of power. So, I think the rounds that it lasts are going to be pretty exciting rounds.
“It could go out early, too. If Ryan lands that hook, he could finish him. He has the power to do it. So, we could see an early night. As long as it lasts, it’s going to be exciting because Rolly puts up a good fight,” said Robert.
Rolly has a very good chance of winning, and you couldn’t call it an upset. Ryan is overrated. Fans have made too much out of his victory over Devin Haney, who is similarly not as good as people thought. Ryan is just a basic one-dimensional puncher who has a left hook and not much else to his game. Rolly is a crude slugger as well, but he has equal power in both hands and is made for brawling.
Last Updated on 05/02/2025
Read the full article here
