Lightweight Unification Title Fight: Teofimo Lopez set to make his father's words to Vasiliy Lomachenkov come true
Billed as one of the top fights of the year, the Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Teofimo Lopez fight has some intense backstory behind it, giving the impression that storylines like these can only happen in movies. For the younger Lopez, who comes into this fight with a 15-0-0 record of which 12 were KOs, training under his father where he learned to power in those shots from perfect angles rather explosively makes him a bonafide contender to take on the formidable Lomachenkov.
Multiple features have showcased the relationship the father-son duo share and perhaps it is a combination of the love and the tough challenges the elder Lopez hands his son that he agreed to take on Lomachenkov after a snub encounter in 2018 between the experienced boxer and Lopez Sr. CBS Sports' Brian Campbell tells the story of the events that transpired in 2018 that led to this fight.
The Madison Square Garden Theater had both the fighters present. Lomachenko was slated to headline a unification fight against Jose Pedraza while a relatively-lesser known Lopez who was still 10-0-0 at the time was finalizing his weight cut at the other end. In what was supposed to be a sportive gesture, his father met Lomachenko backstage at the weigh-in and offered to shake his hand only for him to be snubbed as the Ukrainian shot a dirty look and a cold vibe.
"It got real controversial, it got really intense," Lopez said, "People were blowing me up [saying,] 'Yo, your father just went off on Loma.' I was laughing," the feature said. The attitude saw Lopez Sr lash out at Lomachenko where he declared his son was "going to knock him out."
"My son is going to kill you. We are going to take over the show," he was to have told Lomachenko, and the following day, Lopez delivered that stunning Mason Menard KO. Just 44 seconds into the opening round, Lopez hooked Menard (34-4, 24 KOs) with an overhand right that had the experienced campaigner on the canvas. That was a fight that catapulted Lopez to fame and all the while, his father was actually taunting the division's best brawler.
"My father is the type, he's got that New York in him where if he has something to say, he's just going to say it, straight up," Lopez said. "He's not going to hold anything back to it. That's one of the traits that I love about him despite what people may feel about it. He just doesn't care."
The fight is a classic southpaw vs orthodox battle as the three-time reigning lightweight champion goes up against an undefeated Lopez. However, with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic applying the brakes on boxing action, both fighters take the ring after a long lay-off. Lomachenko's experience of winning world titles in three weight divisions, including collecting three of the four recognized lightweight belts works in his favor while Lopez comes in as the underdog going into this fight.
However, with a lot riding on the younger Lopez, an upset win shouldn't come as a surprise.
The bout is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT. on Saturday, October 17, 2020, and can be watched live on ESPN.