In one of the major fights of the previous year, Teofimo Lopez squared off against former undisputed champion Josh Taylor in New York. Although Taylor lost the fight, he is confident that at his best, he could defeat Lopez and is preparing to defend his championship.
In the first quarter of their Madison Square Garden Theater bout for the WBO super-lightweight belt, Taylor(19-1, 13KOs) felt in control.
“I started off really well. I came out and I sussed him out straight away. He was doing everything what we planned, what we thought he was going to do. I was keeping him on the end of my jab, a couple of left hands, a couple of body shots and stuff. It felt great. It was quite easy,” said Taylor in media reports.
However, everything changed in the fourth round. It felt like his legs were gone. “I usually get a little bit like that in fights and [think] alright the second wind will come. But it never came, it just got worse and worse and worse. He was just better than me on the night,” said Taylor.
“If you’re not quite your best on the night you’re going to get beaten at the top level. It’s tiny margins at the top level which make the difference between winning and losing,” he added.
There had been tension leading up to his duel with Lopez(19-1, 13KOs) a 26 year old boxer from US. Taylor, 32, from scotland agreed to face Jack Catterall(28-1, 13KOs) again, but due to an injury, the fight was called off. Following his victory against Vasiliy Lomachenko, Lopez became one of the biggest stars in American boxing, and the WBO ordered a mandatory defense against him.
“I had to take that fight. When else am I going to get the chance to fight at Madison Square Garden? Another one ticked off the bucket list of my career to achieve,” said Taylor.
He had to modify his training camp to accommodate his injury recovery. Taylor is certain that he will win in a rematch against Lopez. “I’ve got that self-belief and that self-confidence. I firmly believe that me at my best and performing at my best [against] Teofimo Lopez, I win that fight. Without a doubt,” said Taylor.
