Top American mentor Robert Garcia believes that former undisputed lightweight champion compatriot Teofimo Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) will need the help of a new mentor if he really plans to compete for titles in the super lightweight division.
“I think that if Teofimo accepts the fight with the WBC champion Regis Prograis, then he will be a clear underdog in the eyes of the bookmakers,”
reasoning Garcia. – I think that Lopez needs to make certain changes. He is still young, so he can learn new things. But I know for sure that some people are able to change in the course of their careers, while others cannot. And I don’t know for sure whether he will succeed or not.”
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the fact that the defeat to George Kambosos greatly unsettled Lopez – he lost confidence in his abilities. Garcia’s opinion: “As far as I know, Teofimo had personal problems. And with such moments, the fighters cope differently. I have seen fighters walk into the ring after major personal problems and look better than ever before. Teofimo is a cool guy and a great fighter. I hope he draws the right conclusions. He has a great management team behind him. I hope they help him get it right.”
According to Garcia, “very often, the coach is required to do something more – to become a psychotherapist for the fighter. And a lot of my fighters will tell you: “No one will find the right word like Robert does.” So the coach definitely needs to understand these moments. After all, just to score on everything and continue training is not an option. You have to remember that there is life outside the ring.”
Garcia suggests that the Lopezs could use another specialist: “I think they need a new look, a new sip. But that doesn’t mean Lopez Sr. is a bad coach. He achieved a lot with Teofimo. He helped him to get to the Olympic Games, to become a world champion. This is a great coach. But sometimes money, popularity and new acquaintances can destroy what once worked well. I don’t want to intrude on advice, but I think it’s a great idea to try something new in this case. Including introducing another specialist to the team.”
Meanwhile, Prograis already knows who he will defend his title with if Lopez refuses to fight. At the beginning of the year, the champion laughed with Teofimo, and then sorted things out with him and Garcia on social networks.
