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Just days after a dominant win over Josh Taylor to become a two-division champion, Teofimo Lopez says he’s calling it a career.
The 25-year-old fighter, who also holds a win over Vasyl Lomachenko, first made the announcement on Instagram before confirming his plans to retire when speaking to ESPN on Monday.
“I’m going to be announcing my retirement to the sport of boxing,” Lopez said. “Blood, sweat and tears, I’ve done for the sport. At a young age, at 25 years young, and the first male really to become a two-time undisputed world champion in a four-belt era.”
His retirement was immediately met with skepticism, especially considering the long list of potentially lucrative fights that still await him in the future.
After beating Lomachenko in 2020, Lopez lost in an upset split decision to George Kambosos Jr. just over one year later before bouncing back with two straight wins to get the fight with Taylor. Lopez looked as impressive as ever with his win over Taylor as he handed the Scottish fighter the first loss of his career.
The win could have easily put Lopez in line for another marquee fight against names such as Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney or even a potential rematch with Lomachenko but it appears those matchups are all off the table for now at least.
“I have a lot of ideas, I have a lot of things in mind for the sport of boxing,” Lopez said about what’s next for him. “I really can’t do that if I’m always in the gym training and preparing for another upcoming fight or bout so I’m really just focusing right now on that task.”
It remains to be seen if Lopez’s retirement sticks or if a massive fight draws him back into the ring sooner rather than later.
If this really is the end of his career, Lopez would retire with a 19-1 record including 13 victories by knockout.
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