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11 hours ago
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Teofimo Lopez may have been third on the billing for Friday's historic event in New York, but he's still one of the pound-for-pound best in boxing for a reason.
Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) was sensational in a 12-round outclassing of Arnold Barboza Jr. to successfully defend his WBO super lightweight title at Ring Magazine's unique and star-studded triple-header, which was staged in the middle of New York's iconic Times Square. Lopez, 27, dominated Barboza (32-1, 11 KOs) from pillar to post, displaying fast hands and stellar defense in a statement-making performance.
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All three ringside judges scored the bout for Lopez — 116-112, 116-112 and 118-110 — toppling Barboza from the ranks of the unbeaten and propelling Lopez closer to the showdown against Jaron "Boots" Ennis he's been pushing for.
"I felt great, man. I felt reborn. And at 140 [pounds], you know I've been at this weight for some time now, but we'll talk about my and my team going up [to challenge Ennis]," Lopez said.
"You know me, guys. I go after the tough challenges. And yeah, definitely ... I want to see 'Boots.' I'm Dora the Explorer and I'm looking for 'Boots.'"
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In his sharpest showing since capturing his title against Josh Taylor in 2023, Lopez was a blur of fast hands and slick movement, especially compared to the noticeably slower Barboza. The WBO champion consistently beat Barboza to the punch, leading behind his jab and mixing stiff singles at long range with counters and uppercuts on the inside. Lopez's defense and theatrics hit a fever pitch in the middle rounds as he danced and put on a show while dominating Barboza at every turn.
Barboza, 33, finally found an opening in the sixth round, catching Lopez clean with a hard counter right hand that swelled up Lopez's left eye, however that was ultimately the best shot Barboza landed all night.
Lopez continued to pour it in the closing round in pursuit of a stoppage, though in the end he had to settle for a lopsided decision win. Lopez closed the show throwing nearly 150 more punches than Barboza (571-424) while nearly doubling Barboza in landed punches (126-70) and landed jabs (54-38).
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