Why did Teofimo Lopez retire at 25? Here's what the former two-time champion said about future plans

Teofimo Lopez shared a surprising message for fans as he announced his retirement at just 25 years old.

Lopez took to Instagram and shared a photo that made his intentions clear regarding his boxing future. He mentioned that he had a sense of relief to have retired on top at such a young age.

He wrote:

"What a relief! Retired at the Top. Thank you Boxing for the amazing life you’ve provided for myself and my entire loved ones!...THE DOUBLE-GREATEST #JesusIsKing"

Many fans and pundits are questioning why he would announce his retirement at age 25, which is an age that athletes are typically just beginning to enter their prime. This past weekend, he became a two-division champion after earning a unanimous decision win over Josh Taylor.

Obviously, there are many questions surrounding 'The Takeover's retirement at such a young age, and so he explained why he made that decision. During his appearance on The Porter Way Podcast, he mentioned that his fighter purse was a big factor in that decision as he doesn't feel like he has been fairly compensated.

He said:

"The only way you get Teofimo back is a nine-figure contract deal. Because I've made ESPN over a hundred million dollars, and I'm still getting paid a million dollars to fight...While all these other fights who have not even a quarter of what I've done and accomplished are in the sport, they're getting 8, 10, 12, 15 million dollars. So obviously I'm the black sheep of the industry." [h/t Yahoo Sports]

It will be interesting to see whether Lopez can come to an agreement as he has made a strong case for why he deserves a bump in pay after becoming a two-division champion.

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What is Teofimo Lopez's boxing record?

Teofimo Lopez has accomplished a lot in his professional boxing career and most recently handed Josh Taylor his first career loss to capture the WBO and The Ring light welterweight championships.

He has a 19-1 professional boxing record and retired after extending his winning streak to three straight fights. Some of his most notable wins include a unanimous decision win over Vasiliy Lomachenko and a split decision win over Sandor Martin.

The 25-year-old's lone career loss came in 2021 when he lost a split decision to George Kambosos Jr. that resulted in him losing his lightweight titles.