Boxing Pound-for-Pound Leaderboard: Teofimo Lopez falls after a disastrous loss; Terence Crawford rose

What a difference a year makes.

Last October, Teofimo Lopez Jr became the talk of the boxing world when he backed the bold claims of himself and his coach/father to upset Vasiliy Lomachenko and take control. lightweight discipline as the unified champion.

At 23, Lopez emerges with superstar status and makes his debut on everyone’s list in just 16 games of his professional career. With lightning-fast reflexes, one-punch power and confidence in an unorthodox style built on equal athleticism and IQ, the world of boxing is Lopez’s cock. .

So how did we get to where we are today, about 13 months later, with Lopez licking his wounds after a last Saturday’s shock loss to unannounced mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr.? Regardless of the specific reason one determines from the outside looking in, Lopez could be on the verge of an epic career in freefall if the chaos surrounding the team and his family doesn’t. cleaned up quickly.

Lopez has no game plan other than recklessly pursuing a knockout for all 12 rounds despite being a fan of monstrous betting against the Kambosos. He was dropped heavily in the opening round and was unable to adjust in any way to what his emerging opponent had thrown at him, even after rallying for a knockdown in Round 10 that he was never able to take advantage.

The 13-month layoff that Lopez started to join the fight was normal. After being forced to pay the price because he was not satisfied with the minimum offer from Top Rank, Lopez appeared to have worked the system in his favor when Triller Fight Club won the rights to broadcast the fight for an exorbitant price. more than 6 million dollars.

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But the fight never started and was eventually delayed eight different times in an almost comical fashion until Triller finally failed to bid. Lopez is said to have felt very short of cash after investing money in so many training camps that never came to fruition. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Lopez’s mounting problems.

Whether it was for financial reasons, arrogance or more as a result of a ship without a rudder, Lopez failed to keep the services of both assistant coach Joey Gamache and nutrition company. which he previously used to help with weight loss. The former loss became a flash after adversity hit during the Kambosos war, where Lopez’s father and coach failed to offer any form of strategic or helpful advice on the edge. .

Reports also began to emerge following the loss of how troubled Lopez had become during the previous year’s promotional soap opera, which included a lot of partying while dealing with a broken marriage, all even while his wife was pregnant with their son.

On Tuesday, Boxing Scene ran a feature that went even deeper into Lopez’s delusional thinking and bizarre antics both before and after the Kambosos loss, which fans got to see first-hand. Lopez’s post-fight absurd interview.

Nothing about Lopez’s meteoric rise is normal, from his father’s barking during carnivals to the constant behind-the-scenes drama involving his family, including interludes. Behind-the-scenes between Lopez’s wife, mother and sister just seconds before he stepped into the ring in his 2019 Victory over Masayoshi Nakatani which saw the boxer openly distracted in an uneven performance , which is inadvertently considered a harbinger of doom that will not bloom until Kambosos.

Considering what we now know about Lopez, it makes sense that his comments from October were made available during a Las Vegas media debate about how he considered suicide several times in the past year all the more related things.

Lopez is young enough for more time off, a new coach and a hard-working humility may be enough for the once-mature boxer after years of saving his career from a catastrophic explosion. so fierce. But sometimes during the period of a young gladiator’s rise, the toothpaste cannot be easily put back into the tube.

Mike Tyson was only a few months younger than Lopez when he ended the business of the biggest upset bout in boxing history against James “Buster” Douglas in 1990. The loss wasn’t simply overnight. bad at the office, it was the end of a chaotic life that spiraled out of control and, although Tyson would once again be the heavyweight champion in the bot lane, he certainly never was. So after a painful loss.

Here’s to hoping Lopez can find the much-needed peace he needs outside of the ring as he breaks out of the P4P top 10 in ways that could facilitate a successful comeback inside it.

Pound-for-Pound . Rankings

Let go: Teofimo Lopez Jr.

Honor mention: Juan Francisco Estrada, Artur Beterbiev, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Yordenis Ugas, Jermell Charlo