After he obviously lost Shakur Stevenson weekend, Teofimo Lopez He spent some time in the locker room talking with some boxing media about his failed 140-pound title defense, what happened, and his plans for bouncing back after another setback. Here’s some of what Teofimo had to say.
Teofimo’s thoughts on loss
“We didn’t get the win tonight that we wanted, but, you know, we did more than that anyway – we got everybody out here to watch and witness greatness… The way I look at it is: when life comes at you, it’s going to come at you in a lot of ways, you’ve got to treat it like a champ. That’s it. You’ve got to treat it like a champ.”
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On whether he thought he was too focused on trying to get into Shakur’s head during pre-fight promos
“I think that’s how it went down… I was gambling and the dealer didn’t play my cards right, that’s all.”
On how he breaks down what happened in the fight
“Honestly, I think I was just too focused on one specific target, one specific thing, and not really enjoying the opening that I saw. I was catching him with body shots a lot, so I think that was one of my effective weapons to hit him every time. But I think more combinations, especially the left hook and stuff. I underperformed by not listening to my team. That’s my responsibility, don’t worry.
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“My team did a great job, they had good guidelines, they had good instructions. I just didn’t listen tonight.”
On whether anything Shakur brings to the fight surprises him
“No, it’s nothing. Honestly, I knew his jab. Honestly, I distanced myself. I was overplaying his game, that’s all.”
About where he goes from here
“Right now I think it’s more important for me to heal this wound and go back to the drawing board and see where I go and see if I improve and see what we do next.”
Express gratitude for what he has already achieved in his career
“No, not at all. I hate myself, but it’s part of it… I don’t appreciate it, and that’s why. I don’t. I think I got slaughtered, and I think God punished me a lot for it. So I’m just a punching bag. So, maybe one day, but not yet… It’s all good, I just never got my fair share. I never got it. Not once, man.
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“But, hey, it’s just my journey…I’ve got to keep it going.”
What message does he have for his supporters?
“Never give up on taking over. We’re definitely going to be back in some way, some form, but God is still real though, and I think you all know that, and you have to fight harder. I didn’t try too hard tonight, so we made our decision.”
