On Saturday night, Teófimo López accomplished a remarkable achievement by becoming a two-division world champion. He defeated Josh Taylor, who suffered the first defeat of his professional career in a significant upset. López dominated the fight in the middle stages, out-throwing and out-landing the former undisputed champion for extended periods before dominating him in the championship rounds. This performance nearly resulted in a knockout and secured López the WBO junior welterweight championship he has held since 2021.
The three judges at ringside handed down scores of 117-111 and 115-113 (twice). However, many felt that López’s dominance deserved a more significant margin. López himself was naturally jubilant about the hard-earned victory: “It’s been a long time coming.” he said. “We just beat the No 1 guy, the lineal world champion, the former undisputed world champion.”
The loss marked the first defeat in 20 professional fights for Taylor, who became the British fighter to gain the title two years ago and was only the fifth man in boxing’s four-belt era to achieve the feat at any weight. Despite his disappointment, Taylor had nothing but praise for López, conceding that he was the better fighter on the night: “No excuses – it wasn’t my best,” he said. “The better man won tonight. I’ve got no excuses. I fought to the best of my ability. He was better than me tonight. It is what it is. Congratulations to Teófimo.”
Taylor was looking forward to a rematch, confident that he could still come out on top: “I thought it was a close fight. I’d love to do it again. I definitely know I’m better than that, and I know I can beat him still. I’d love to do it again. But he’s the champ, so the ball is in his court.”
Overall, López’s impressive victory is a testament to his hard work and talent. As for Taylor, he had an impressive run as champion and could very well rebound in the future. For now, boxing fans will eagerly await López’s next challenges and accomplishments.
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