Bob Arum has decades-worth of experience watching fights, and at the age of 91, the Hall of Fame promoter and Top Rank boss knows when a gem is pristine or imperfect.
Teofimo Lopez Jr. sneaked away with a split decision victory against Sandor Martin on Dec. 10 in a competitive fight in which the former unified 135-pound champion got dropped once officially and arguably a second time as well.
Afterward, Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) openly wondered “do I still got it” inside the ring at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
The 25-year-old Lopez is fighting for just the second time at 140 pounds following his first professional defeat against George Kambosos Jr. in November 2021.
When Arum was asked following Lopez’s close encounter if the fighter he promotes appears comfortable in his new weight class, he was honest with his assessment.
“No,” said Arum in front of a group of media members. “I think it's an adjustment. Five pounds sounds like nothing, but it's a lot of weight.”
Arum and company will have to be careful moving along the 2016 Honduran Olympian in a super lightweight division that includes stablemates Josh Taylor, former world unified champion Jose Ramirez, and contenders like Jose Zepeda, Jose Pedraza, Arnold Barboza Jr., and Giovanni Cabrera.
Recently crowned WBC world champion Regis Prograis, who beat Zepeda and has lost to Taylor, could be another potential foe for the Brooklyn-based Lopez.
Arum was frank about how he felt that fight would play out as well.
“I think you'd have to favor Prograis, but I think Teofimo could beat him,” said Arum.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
