Teofimo Lopez Claims Arnold Barboza Jr. Is A ‘Stepping Stone,’ Ignoring Threat

WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez minimized the threat that his mandatory Arnold Barboza Jr. presents, dismissing him as a mere “stepping stone” to bigger things in his career when they battle on May 2nd in the Times Square in New York City.

Teo (21-1, 13 KOs) doesn’t want to admit that Barboza (32-0, 11 KOs) is the biggest threat to him since his fight with Vasily Lomachenko in 2020.

Although Lopez was later beaten by George Kambosos Jr. in 2021, and arguably lost to Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz, he was supposed to win those fights easily. The judges gave Lopez gifts against Jamaine and Sandor, but he was well-beaten.

Barboza Jr. has the kind of talent that will put the judges in an impossible position: They don’t dare give the A-side Teofimo the win.

“Stepping Stone”

“This is the biggest fight of his life, and this is just another stepping stone in my career, and we done that,” said Teofimo Lopez to Top Rank Boxingtalking about his WBO mandatory Arnold Barboza Jr. “Put him in front of me and I’m always going to beat him.

“We’re going to show everybody on May the 2nd, why we are the truth, and why we are the myth. I look forward to what Arnold Barboza wants to bring to the table, but I guarantee you, its a lot different when you’re in the ring with me for sure,” said Teofimo.

Something made Teofimo feel like he can walk on water now, and I don’t know what. Was it his last fight against Steve Claggett?  Hopefully, Lopez realizes that Top Rank was feeding him a soft job after he struggled against Jamaine Ortiz. He needed a confidence-booster after the way he looked in that fight.

Barboza is looking unbeatable right now, and it will take Teofimo at his best to win this fight. In Barboza Jr’s last two fights, he beat Jack Catterall and Jose Ramirez. Either one of those guys would have an excellent chance of beating Lopez.