Teofimo Lopez is vowing to score his first knockout in two years when he faces Jamaine Ortiz on February 8 at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Next week’s fight ends an eight-month sabbatical for Lopez which included a brief retirement following an upset win over Josh Taylor to capture the RING and WBO super lightweight titles.
Attributing previously flat performances to lazy training, the reigning champion credited his recent title win for prompting a career rededication.
“Before all of this and before I fought Josh Taylor, I used to take a break,” Lopez revealed. “I used to not really train so much. I used to not always be in the gym. But after I got everything back and became a two-division world champion, I started staying in the gym.
“My trainer, who is my father, always wanted me to stay in the gym. So, I started doing that last August. Since then, I’ve gotten faster. I’ve gotten much stronger. My I.Q. is much sharper. And it’s because I haven’t stopped training since August of last year. And I’m not going to stop. After I beat Jamaine Ortiz, then I will keep staying in the gym.”
Lopez found himself a considerable underdog against Taylor win due to a lackluster split decision win over Sandor Martin in December 2022. He believes the refocused training will pay its biggest dividends with punching power. Lopez’s last knockout came against Pedro Campa in August 2022.
“The end result is that ‘The Showman’ is returning,” Lopez said. “There will definitely be a knockout. It’s not going the distance. I’m not going to leave it in the judges’ hands at all. So, everyone tune in, and get your popcorn ready.”
Lopez vs. Ortiz will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
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