IBF lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez believes that he’s got the mental edge over WBC Franchise, WBA/WBO lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko.
The two were slated to collide in the summer, but their showdown was pushed back due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
For the last few months, Lopez and his father/trainer, Teofimo Lopez Sr., have been taking shots at Lomachenko at every turn. And Lomachenko has uncharacteristically fired back with verbal jabs of his own.
“You know, we got in his head,” Lopez explained to The Express. “Well my father got in his head. You never really see Loma talk sh-t. He’ll let his hands do the talking. He’ll beat these fighters and make them quit, that’s how he is.
“He feels something with us. He feels threatened. He wants to show that when this is all over he wants to look us in the face and say some ‘don’t ever disrespect me again’ type sh-t. I’m completely confident I’m gonna knock him out. It doesn’t matter what hand does it. One of them will knock his ass out.”
Back in December, Lopez secured the biggest win of his pro career when he knocked out out Richard Commey to claim the IBF world title.
“I put my whole mind and soul into that Commey camp,” he says. “I knew that it was everything I always dreamt of when I first started boxing 18 years ago. I knew I wasn’t going to let any of my family or anyone I love interfere with that.
“When I threw my overhand right, I didn’t think I would hurt him with that one, honestly. Me and my father… we worked on a lot of things. I knew it wouldn’t go past six, I thought I would know him out between four and five but it happened earlier.”