IF TEOFIMO LOPEZ is to return to boxing then he desires to be paid his price.
That worth in his eyes has shot up enormously following his win over Josh Taylor in New York at the weekend.
Winning the WBO super-lightweight belt is the second division Lopez has achieved success in having received three trinkets one division under at light-weight.
His efficiency at the Madison Square Garden Theatre was harking back to his win over Vasiliy Lomachenko three years in the past however extra dominant. The three judges on Saturday night time awarded Lopez a unanimous determination with scorecards of 115-113, 117-111 and 115-113 once more.
Afterwards the winner introduced his retirement from the sport regardless of solely being 25 years outdated. The Brooklynite went on to talk of non-public points involving a custody battle with his ex-wife for their son, Junior.
Lopez was a visitor yesterday on Shawn Porter’s podcast The Porter Way to speak extra about his causes for leaving the sport and what he believes to be his worth.
“I’m gonna retire, take a step back from everything. I don’t think there’s no need for me right now. I’m gonna help fighters rather than anybody helping me at this point especially in the business aspect. They’re not paying me enough. They’re only giving me a million dollars a fight.”
The outspoken fighter courted lots controversy in the run-up to Saturday night time. During an interview with Punsh Drunk Boxing Lopez mentioned: “Just to put it on the spot, this is my last fight on ESPN. I’m sorry, but I’m not sorry. This is why this fight (Josh Taylor) means everything to me. If they want the Black fighters, they can keep them. I brought Bud Lite to Top Rank.”
During the build-up Lopez additionally claimed he needed to take Taylor’s life, one thing he immediately apologised to Taylor for after their battle.
The new belt holder at 140lbs informed The Porter Way that a part of the motive for his retirement is right down to his household and the issues he says.
“My family has been very concerned with the way I’ve been expressing things,” he mentioned. Whether it’s the black fighter’s remark, whether or not it was sure different feedback. I’m not racist I simply see it from a enterprise side of issues. I feel it rubbed individuals in another way as a result of they’re not understanding my expression of phrases. How I say issues, I suppose.
“I don’t want that pressure on them being like they gotta be fearful for their life because someone’s gonna do something to me. No-one’s gonna do anything to me. They gotta talk to the father first before any of that. I need everybody to calm down, let me figure out something else.”
The former 2016 Olympian plans to open a two-storey boxing and MMA health club in South Florida the place he and his father can recruit and practice fighters for their firm Takeover Promotions.
“Teach them how to talk on the mic, educate them, how to be financially stable and show them they can do it, too. You don’t have to sell your soul to do certain things like that to get your riches,” Lopez Jr mentioned.
Continuing, he added that he was the “black sheep” of the boxing trade. The Top Rank fighter went on to debate the worth he has dropped at ESPN and what it’s going to take to get him again in the ring.
“I think the only way you get Teo bag is a nine-figure deal,” he remarked.
“I’ve made ESPN over 100 million {dollars}. I’m nonetheless getting paid one million {dollars} a battle whereas all these different fighters [who] haven’t even performed 1 / 4 of what I’ve achieved in the sport are getting eight, ten, twelve, fifteen million {dollars}.
“Obviously, I’m the black sheep of the industry and they’re really hurting me on that end. I really wanna fix the sport of the boxing world and the corruption that’s going on. Obviously, it doesn’t happen overnight. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but we need to help these young kids that are out there right now and parents and families.”
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