Teofimo Lopez, the reigning WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight world champion, is gearing up for a title defense against Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday, Feb. 8, at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. And Lopez is guaranteeing a knockout.
Following a training session at Top Rank Gym in Vegas, Lopez said:
“Before all of this and before I fought Josh Taylor, I used to take a break. I used to not really train so much. I used to not always be in the gym. But after I got everything back and became a two-division world champion, I started staying in the gym. My trainer, who is my father, always wanted me to stay in the gym. So, I started doing that last August. Since then, I’ve gotten faster. I’ve gotten much stronger. My I.Q. is much sharper. And it’s because I haven’t stopped training since August of last year. And I’m not going to stop. After I beat Jamaine Ortiz, then I will keep staying in the gym.
“The end result is that ‘The Showman’ is returning. There will definitely be a knockout. It’s not going the distance. I’m not going to leave it in the judges’ hands at all. So, everyone tune in, and get your popcorn ready.
“It’s been a long journey. And I know what it takes. I don’t want to be known as a fighter who knows how to get to the top but doesn’t know how to keep it. So, I want everyone to tune in so they can see how much I truly love the sport of boxing.”
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Takeover Promotions and CES Boxing, tickets for the event are currently available on AXS.com.
The highly anticipated Lopez-Ortiz and Davis-Pedraza matchups will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
Teofimo Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) rose to fame by capturing the IBF lightweight world title in December 2019. He secured the WBA, WBO, and WBC Franchise titles in October 2020 after defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko. Although losing those titles to George Kambosos Jr. in November 2021, Lopez moved up to junior welterweight, winning the WBO and Ring Magazine titles against Josh Taylor in his last fight.
Jamaine Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs) is coming off a 10-round decision victory over Antonio Moran in his junior welterweight debut, following a competitive 12-round loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko in October 2022. The stage is set for an intense battle in Las Vegas as these two skilled fighters face off in the ring.
The post WATCH: Teofimo Lopez Predicts Knockout in Upcoming Fight with Jamaine Ortiz first appeared on The Source.
The post WATCH: Teofimo Lopez Predicts Knockout in Upcoming Fight with Jamaine Ortiz appeared first on The Source.