He hardly resembled the boxer who dominated Josh Taylor for his 140-pound title in June, but Teofimo Lopez was fortunate to improve to 20-1 on Thursday in Las Vegas with a unanimous-decision victory over challenger Jamaine Ortiz (17-2-1).
Fight fans at Las Vegas’ Michelob Ultra Arena began Thursday’s WBO junior welterweight title bout by cheering Lopez’s name (‘Teo! Teo! Teo!) only to boo the defending champion by the sixth round of his clownish, lackluster performance.
He then responded to those boos after the controversial win (117-111, 115-113, 115-113), telling irate spectators: ‘Suck a d*** no-homo!’
It was, unfortunately, a fitting ending from someone once considered to be among boxing’s brightest young stars.
‘I tried my best for the people,’ Lopez told his critics in the crowd. ‘I even tried to box going backward and [Ortiz] didn’t want to commit.’
Teofimo Lopez exchanges punches with Jamaine Ortiz for the WBO junior welterweight title
Teofimo Lopez celebrates defeating Jamaine Ortiz to retain the WBO junior welterweight title
The immediate fallout of Lopez’s win was a departure from his previous two victories, but not any less bizarre.
After escaping with a debatable split-decision victory over Sandor Martin in 2022, an emotional Lopez was seen asking his corner ‘do I still got it?’
But Lopez didn’t leave any doubt against Taylor in June of 2023, winning the WBO junior welterweight title by unanimous decision at the Madison Square Garden theater. Only in the fallout from this victory, the overjoyed Lopez dropped a surprise retirement announcement on the media.
Reporters didn’t believe Lopez and they were proven right when he announced his fight with Ortiz — a natural lightweight from Worcester, Massachusetts best known for beating Jamel Herring and losing to Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2022.
Teofimo Lopez celebrates defeating Jamaine Ortiz to retain the WBO junior welterweight title
Ortiz hardly dominated the fight and had only a slight edge in the CompuBox stats, but Lopez’s 78 connections were his fewest in any 12-round fight.
Lopez may have gotten the best of what little action there was in the first, connecting with a strong left that ultimately didn’t seem to phase Ortiz in the least.
Ortiz bounced back with a strong finish in the second and was even better in the third, delivering a blistering combination to Lopez in the corner and prompting some unwarranted clowning from the champion.
But while Lopez was outwardly disrespecting his opponent, he appeared to be struggling with Ortiz’s slight reach advantage and quick feet.
Ortiz trapped Lopez in the corner again in the fourth round and even won over some fans in the process.
By the fifth, Lopez’s in-the-ring antics began to draw jeers from the announced crowd of 6,206, many of whom clearly thought he should be more focused on Ortiz.
The booing continued during a boring sixth round and again after a brief stoppage due to an accidental head butt in the seventh.
Lopez momentarily recaptured the crowd in that frame, but failed to build on his momentum.
He remained mostly dormant until the 12th, when he finally felt some urgency, only to spend the better part of the round chasing Ortiz around the ring.
Keyshawn Davis celebrates after beating Jose Pedraza on Thursday night in Las Vegas
Beforehand, in the co-main, lightweight Keyshawn Davis (10-0) dismantled José Pedraza (29-6-1) to earn a stoppage midway through the sixth round.
Davis was lackluster for two rounds before finally getting to Pedraza in the third with a series of body blows along the ropes.
Pedraza would later take successive rights to the temple in the middle of the ring before lowering his head and going into full defensive mode to survive the round.
But it wasn’t until the sixth that Davis unleashed his full fury on Pedraza, who looked every bit his 34 years. The fight was stopped as Pedraza’s defense began to weather under an unrelenting barrage from Davis.
Some fans criticized the stoppage online, but in addition to taking a significant beating, Pedraza appeared to have a sizable cut on the right side of his face.
Keyshawn Davis delivers a right to the head of Jose Pedraza late in their Thursday night bout
Davis, 24, improves to a perfect 10-0 and appears to be entering the title picture at 135 pounds.
‘I’m the best at 135,’ said Davis, who credited his decision to quit Marijuana for his recent success.
Then he called out the headliner, Lopez, in the ring: ‘Teofimo, you already know I’m coming! You and your father. Let’s set it up.’
Davis went so far as to say he’s willing to fight Lopez at junior welterweight.
‘I’ll come straight to 140,’ Davis said. ‘Let’s go!’
Lopez was quick to dismiss Davis after his victory over Ortiz.
‘We’re talking about a lightweight [Keyshawn Davis],’ Lopez said. ‘He hasn’t done anything.’