The hype surrounding Teofimo Lopez traveled the globe and reached unrecognizable highs. With the 25-year-old scoring a massive upset over Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020, he laced his waist with the IBF, WBO, WBA, WBC “Franchise”, and Ring Magazine lightweight titles.
Nevertheless, despite becoming the talk of the town, Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) has struggled with his newfound stardom. Immediately following his jaw-dropping win, Lopez would go on to lose against George Kambosos Jr., marking an end to his transient title reign.
In two subsequent ring appearances, the former champion has returned to the win column. However, in his latest outing, Regis Prograis, his now budding rival, reveals that he was far from impressed.
In front of a fairly jam-packed crowd in New York’s Madison Square Garden this past weekend, Lopez eked out a highly controversial decision against Sandor Martin. Considering his lackluster performances, many have attempted to pinpoint where things have gone wrong for the once-bright star.
Prograis, nevertheless, believes that he understands the root of Lopez’s problem. And, in order to return to his glory days, the newly minted WBC 140-pound titlist is urging Lopez to cut ties with his bloodline.
“I think that he got caught up in his own hype and his dad got caught up in the hype,” said Prograis to BoxingScene.com. “I really think he needs to get rid of his daddy. It seems like his dad is living through his son and that’s never good because they put so much pressure on you. He needs to change his team up.”
Though he was succinct in his advice, Prograis concludes that a trainer change is exactly what the doctor ordered. Doing so, however, could present a problem for team Lopez. Having trained by his father’s side since he was an adolescent, both Teofimo Lopez Sr. and his son have built an undeniable bond.
Still, regardless of their relationship, Prograis suspects that without their split, Lopez’s mental state could spiral out of control.
“Mentally he’s crumbling. You can just tell, mentally he’s crumbling.”
By Hans Themistode