Teofimo Lopez wins by a unanimous decision over contender Steve Claggett
Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) defended his WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight world titles with a unanimous decision win over Canadian contender Steve Claggett (38-8-2, 6 KOs) Saturday evening at James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.
Claggett, who was coming off a nine-fight winning streak, charged at Lopez from the opening bell. The 35-year-old had Lopez against the ropes for much of the fight, where he landed short punches around Lopez’s shoulder roll defense.
Lopez used his head movement at close range to evade many shots, but he was more comfortable on the outside. The 26-year-old moved often to establish distance, connecting quick combos around Claggett’s high guard, including a flurry that hurt him in the eighth.
Claggett was aggressive at every moment, but Lopez’s athleticism prevented him from mounting any significant offense.
Lopez retained his crown with scores of 120-108 2x & 119-109.
Lopez said, “I knew exactly what kind of fighter he was. I knew he would come forward and test my conditioning. And that’s what we had. We went twelve rounds.”
“The will has to be stronger than the skill. And that’s what we showed tonight. If I was tired, I know he was more tired because I worked very hard for this. We knew we had to break him down. The body shots were hurting him.”
“I’m very grateful. He’s a tough fighter. I don’t think anyone should overlook him. I knew that coming into this.”