WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez is ready and motivated to blast out Jamaine Ortiz on February 8, at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) upset the odds last year, when he captured the WBO world title by dominating former undisputed champion Josh Taylor to capture the WBO title.
After months of figuring out his next move, Lopez returns to Las Vegas to make his first defense against Ortiz.
“February 8 at Mandalay Bay, ‘The Takeover’ will entertain inside that squared circle as only I can! To the boxing fans around the world, I look to not only dominate and break down Jamaine Ortiz, but to do it in such a fashion that my division will be put on alert,” Lopez said.
“Jamaine is tough. I would know, because I faced him back in the amateur days in 2015 for the National Golden Gloves Championship. I’ll show the world that champions don’t flinch when faced with challenges. They rise and shine the brightest when the stakes are highest. This one is for all my people on the Takeover Express! Let’s show the world once again what real boxing looks like.”
Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs) gave a very inspired performance against Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2022. He lost a twelve round unanimous decision, but came back last year to win a dominant decision over Antonio Moran.
He now goes for his first world title with a lot of motivation.
Ortiz said, “This is the most important fight of my career. It’s my first world title bout. I believe this fight will bring out the very best in me, and I’m looking forward to coming home as the new champion!”