Make no mistake...Teo did earned his right to be considered #1 at 140....call him egocentric and whatnot but he did beat the man...convincingly and undoubtedly.
The absolute worst thing about modern boxing is that young superstars don't fight each other when they are in their 20s anymore (their physical primes). How many times has it happened in the last 15 years?? Because of this trend, I seriously doubt we see Lopez and Haney in the ring together anytime soon, even though, in my opinion, it's the best fight that can be made in the sport.
The absolute worst thing about modern boxing is that young superstars don't fight each other when they are in their 20s anymore (their physical primes). How many times has it happened in the last 15 years?? Because of this trend, I seriously doubt we see Lopez and Haney in the ring together anytime soon, even though, in my opinion, it's the best fight that can be made in the sport.
The thing is "Physical prime" is different for everyone. Genetics and self care play a role. You have someone like Bud Crawford whom didn't hit his physical prime until he was about 30ish. Then u have a guy like Khan who peaked at somewhere around his mid to late 20s around when he fought Maidana and Peterson.
Once the body starts taking physical damage from boxing. It really just becomes a matter of who can stay at or near their prime the longest. Loma is another late bloomer, in his 30s he arguably beat both Teo and Haney, both guys he's a decade older then and would've been too small to fight when he was in his 20s.
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