American coach Stephen Edwards led Julian Williams to the championship belt, and now he hopes to help Caleb Plant regain the title – he has a very difficult fight ahead of David Benavidez.
Edwards was asked to share his opinion on compatriot Teofimo Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs). The former undisputed lightweight champion is not impressive in the super lightweight division, but he (with a high degree of probability) will have a fight with the WBC champion American Regis Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs) in 2023.
Edwards is very thorough in his analysis, so he took everything apart point by point.
O victory over Sandor Martin in the WBC eliminator: “Not Lopez’s best performance. But let’s give credit to the opponent. He knows how to fight, he knows how to move. He has what is called the ability to hit on the move. Did you see how difficult Theo was? Many fans do not like this type of fighter. But with them it is really very difficult to look good in the ring. Martin is a real mover. I don’t know who his coach is, but he knows his job well. Sandor does not repeat himself, he changes direction of movement, while throwing punches that are almost impossible to counter.
About Lopez’s style: “It was a priori an uncomfortable opponent for Lopez. I don’t throw stones at the garden Top Rank. I understand that their fight broke down (Jose Pedraza got sick), and they were looking for an opponent as soon as possible. But it was a priori a very difficult fight for Lopez. After all, he is not a pressurer. He is a puncher, and a very explosive one at that. Not a pressurer in the sense that cutting the corners of the ring, wearing down an opponent, and then knocking him out is not about him. And it has been seen before. Remember his fight with Masayoshi Nakatani. After all, it was not easy for him. Fans don’t get it, but that’s the problem. He’s not comfortable with that style of fighters.”
On Lopez’s mental issues: “He lost to George Kambosos, having been knocked down. The same Kambosos, who was then confidently outboxed by Devin Haney twice. It is clear that such things beat on your confidence. Imagine yourself in his place. Your potential opponent beat the dude you lost to twice. Therefore, he had problems with confidence, which the whole world saw. But I think the guy still has a future. He just needs to find his way again, return to his path.
On the chances of beating Prograis: “I would bet on Regis. But I would never say to Lopez: “Dude, you don’t need this fight.” You know what? Plant will also be the underdog against Benavidez. This is part of the game. Sometimes you’re the favourite, sometimes you’re the underdog. But if you want to become a world champion, then you should not look at bookmaker quotes. Why would I bet on Prograis? I’m just considering their current form. But at the same time, I will not say that Lopez has no chance to beat him.
On Lopez’s future: “We’ll see. Soon we will get the answer to the main question – what kind of dough is this guy made of. In boxing, talent alone is not enough. There must also be willpower, the ability to overcome difficulties and failures. The ability to maintain confidence and diligence at the same time, the ability to go towards your goal, even if it is so far away that it is not visible. This is all it should be. Boxing is not only about who has the best right straight or left hook, who is faster and who is more powerful. Teofimo has solid physical inclinations. And soon we will understand if he has character. If all this is there, then an ocean of possibilities will open before him. Let’s see how he performs.”
It was revealed last week that Prograis would fight Lopez after Ramirez pulled out of the fight. The ex-lightweight promises to take the fight, and Teofimo Sr. even named the dates. A little later, Ramirez named the amount for which he was ready to fight Prograis, and Lopez does not care about money.