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It turns out that Teofimo Lopez's retirement was short-lived for a good reason.
'The Takeover' has been out of the ring since a clash with Josh Taylor in June. There, he absolutely dominated the previously undefeated 'Tartan Tornado'. After 12 rounds of action, Lopez became the WBO and The Ring light welterweight champion.
Following the victory, the young boxer made the stunning decision to retire. While the decision seemed insane on paper, it made a bit more sense given Lopez's recent fights and drama outside the ring. Following a split-decision win over Sandor Martin in December 2022, he famously questioned if he still had it.
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Furthermore, Teofimo Lopez's deteriorating relationship with his father led some to believe that the retirement was real. Less than a year later, 'The Takeover' is now out of retirement and set for his next fight. If everything seems a bit sudden, that's because it's going according to plan.
Speaking to Boxing Social, the WBO welterweight champion stated that the retirement was little more than a publicity stunt. Not only that, but his infamous "Do I still got it" moment was the same. He revealed (via Michael Benson):
“I wasn't gonna retire, it was a publicity stunt. You've gotta know how to work the media. Just like when I said, 'Do I still got it?' [after the Sandor Martin fight] and then I used it after beating Josh Taylor.”
Check out his comments below (11:00):
Who will Teofimo Lopez fight in his return to the boxing ring?
Teofimo Lopez will end his retirement to fight Jamaine Ortiz on Feb. 8.
'The Takeover' spent his retirement calling out a lot of different names. While he's shown interest in fighting figures such as Ryan Garcia and Terence Crawford, he will instead face 'The Technican' next month.
While Ortiz isn't a household name, he's been a solid boxer for a few years now. Holding a win over former champion Jamel Herring, he suffered the first loss of his career in 2022 against Vasyl Lomachenko. That night saw 'Hi-Tech' absolutely dominate the young boxer.
Nonetheless, Ortiz will now look to upset Lopez next month. The fight will be the first title defense of the WBO welterweight champion's title reign, and it will go down in Las Vegas. In addition to the return of Lopez, the card also features a lightweight clash between Jose Pedraza and Keyshawn Davis.
