WATCH: Teofimo Lopez argues with father mid-interview ahead of return

The build to Teofimo Lopez vs. Josh Taylor has been wild, to put it lightly.

'The Takeover' and 'The Tartan Tornado' are set to collide on ESPN later tonight, and it's an important one for the former champion. Lopez enters the contest riding a two-fight winning streak, having earned recent wins over Pedro Campa and Sandor Martin.

Those two victories helped him rebound after an upset loss to George Kambosos Jr. in late 2021. While Lopez has put together wins in the ring, some remain concerned about his wellbeing out of it. He famously nearly died due to having air in his chest in his bout against 'The Emperor'.

In addition to the health issues, he's gone through high-profile relationship struggles, and that's not touching the situation with his father. Lopez Sr. remains his son's coach and a controversial one at that. In a recent ESPN interview, he showed exactly why he's so controversial.

During a discussion about Teofimo Lopez accusing ESPN commentators of being biased towards African-American competitors, his father entered the room. Which led to the exchange, with Sr. stating:

"That's off the record. Off the record, you don't have to talk, you f***ing wake up. Don't say that, don't get into that bro! Don't fall into this! Talk about the fight! Let that all go!"

In response, his son shot back:

"Let it be! What are you so scared of? Stop being a b**** about it and handle it like a man. Handle it like a man, all of y'all, handle it like a man."

See his comments in the brief interview clip below:

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Teofimo Lopez vs. Josh Taylor: 'The Takeover' discusses family pressure

Ahead of Teofimo Lopez vs. Josh Taylor, the former champion discussed his situation.

In the interview with ESPN, he discussed his ongoing troubles and recent controversies. It's worth noting that his comments came just mere moments after his shouting match with his father.

Nonetheless, in the interview, the former champion stated that fans don't know exactly what's going on. The amount of stuff that he has to deal with on a daily basis is exhausting, based on the interview, he's not lying.

Nonetheless, he fired back at the accusation that his trouble out of the ring would interfere with his fighting. In the interview, Teofimo Lopez stated:

"That, I've been dealing with for a while. My family is here for everything I speak out, you know how frustrating that is? No, you haven't a clue [of what I've been through]... [The pressure] is not on, it's not on. We're built for this."