Teofimo Lopez did not have a very impressive outing as he took on Sandor Martin in his second fight at the light welterweight division inside Madison Square Garden in New York. The former unified lightweight champion did not look like the boxer we have known him as, struggling on his feet against Martin.
Teofimo Lopez leaving Madison Square garden tonight 🤦🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/8Un76lhmn1
— Nodding Chef 👨🏽🍳 (@TeeSkreetz416) December 11, 2022
One judge scored the contest 95-94 in favor of Martin, while the two other judges scored it 96-93 and hugely controversial 97-92 in favor of Lopez, for the winner by split decision Teofimo Lopez.
Kambosos ruined Teo… he will never b the same
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) December 11, 2022
Weather you thought it was close or not a bad decision is a bad decision. How in the world did teo win that 97-93 or whatever that last score was disgusting 🤢
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) December 11, 2022
Sandon martin won unless they choose to rob him
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) December 11, 2022
Wild reactions poured in from the boxing community who slammed Lopez and called it a robbery. Devin Haney even went on to claim Lopez has lost his shine since losing to George Kambosos Jr. Meanwhile, Ryan Garcia stated that Lopez lost the fight, calling the judging “disgusting” and raising eyebrows over the fight being rigged.
Sandor Martin knocked Teo down in Round 7 but ref didn’t call it, Sandor Martin got robbed by ref and the judges (97-92 beyond laughable) #teofimolopez #sandormartin #boxing pic.twitter.com/dgw9WyZtMy
— Clown World Sports 🤡🌎⚽️ (@ClownWorldSport) December 11, 2022
The Russian fighter seemingly dominated Lopez, knocking him down twice during the course of the fight. However, only one knockdown was recorded, with the referee calling the latter a slip from Lopez.
Who really won the fight between Teofimo Lopez and Sandor Martin?
Despite what the judges’ scorecards might say, Sandor Martin was the better boxer tonight. His defense, counterpunching, and footwork looked too much for Lopez, who struggles to adapt and evolve as the fight progressed. Barring the first two rounds, Martin had more cumulative punches and jabs thrown for the better part of the entire duration of the fight.
CompuBox numbers for Lopez-Martin– which, of course, do not tell the whole story — were close. The two were never separated by more than four punches in any round. Biggest difference: a 31-punch edge for @TeofimoLopez in power punches.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) December 11, 2022
#TeofimoLopez vs #SandorMartin
Credit: CompuBox #Boxing #LopezvsMartin pic.twitter.com/IPYvrXdI1E— Sportsmanor (@sports_manor) December 11, 2022
Teofimo Lopez:
“Do I still got it”?
The most honest video you will see. pic.twitter.com/ZJd1rOgNHp
— Boxing Kingdom (@BoxingKingdom14) December 11, 2022
While it wasn’t as one-sided, it certainly wasn’t a victory for Teofimo Lopez as far as how the fight played out. An evidently disappointed Teofimo Lopez was spotted asking his corner “do I still got it” after the lackluster performance. What did you make of Lopez’s performance? Do let us know in the comments section.
Lopez called out George Kambosos Jr. for a rematch soon after the fight, and while it’s an exciting match-up, it’s safe to say eyes will be on Kambosos to once again get the job done against the American fighter. Meanwhile, a title fight against Regis Prograis seems unlikely after a performance like that, with Lopez’s promoter Bob Arum also leaning towards Prograis to get his hands raised.