FSM Essential Recap: Lomachenko vs Lopez – 10/17/2020

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Two of boxings best faced off in the ring on Saturday night and it was one of 2020’s best fights. The Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez fight had been almsot a year in the making and one of the most anticipated in a long time.

 

 

Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez fought to unify the lightweight (135-pound) division when they squared off at the MGM Grand Conference Center in one of the most anticipated fights of 2020. The champ, and arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, Lomachenko (14-2) is the two-time Olympic gold medalist who, in a short pro career, has won titles in three different weight classes. Lopez (16-0) is the young (23), confident, upstart, and brash 2016 Olympian who won his first world title last year.

For nearly two years, to anyone willing to hear it, Lopez Jr. and his father/trainer, Teofimo Lopez Sr., have said the 23-year-old brash slugger was ready to take over the sport. It turns out they were right. “The Takeover” took it to the champ early and was able to hold off Lomachenko late to upset and unify the lightweight division by way of a unanimous decision.

 

 

Lopez’s gameplan was to use his speed and pinpoint accuracy to force Lomachenko into a shell. Lopez did just that and Lomachenko didn’t come out it of until the second half of the fight.

 

 

Lopez outlanded Lomachenko by a margin of 183 to 141, according to CompuBox. He also did well to hold off a late surge from Lomachenko as Lopez was visibly tiring the later the fight went on.

“Honestly, it was just to keep pressuring him; that’s all you have to do. Use the jab and never give him the opportunity to set up,” Lopez said. “Every time he wanted to throw, I had something for him to break his momentum. He was coming off a 14-month layoff, and I knew it was going to take him a long time to catch up.”

Lomachenko left the ring immediately after the decision was read. Lomo connected on 45% of his power punches overall and became the aggressor in the final five rounds of the fight, but it was too little too late. Lomachenko seemed to be on his way to winning the final round by getting off first with clean combinations, that was until Lopez hurt him with a left hook and continued to pile on power shots of his own until the final bell. Not even getting hit with an accidental head butt in the final 10 seconds of the fight could derail Lopez.

“I’m a fighter; I’ve got to dig in deep. I can’t give him that,” Lopez said of the final round. “I don’t know if they have him close on the scorecards or not. I love to fight, and I can bang, too. I don’t care. I’ll take one to give one, and that’s what a true champion does. I’ll find a way to come out and win.”

 

Lopez became the first fighter in the four-belt era to become the undisputed champion in the lightweight divison.

 

“All it is, it’s ‘The Takeover,'” Lopez said after the fight, referring to both his nickname and common catchphrase. “It’s time for the new generation to come up, and it’s time for me to lead the way for everybody.” 

 

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-Joe Arrigo- Franchise Sports Media

 

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