Teofimo Lopez Sr. Recalls When He Almost Got Slapped by Mike Tyson

Teofimo Lopez Sr. is one of the best trainers in boxing right now. Like many trainers in boxing, Sr. had no proper experience but gained it while helping his son navigate his way through his career.

Despite the hardships the two have had over the course of their lives, even Jr. admits that his father is possibly the best coach he could have had.

One of the few times Lopez Sr. was having a night out in the town, he met Mike Tyson in a club. But what happened when they met each other was something that no one could have predicted.

“We was up in the club, I think it was on 10th Avenue 18th Street in Manhattan. I was walking in and getting a drink and walking by. Mike Tyson just came in and boom, shoulders by me really hard.

“Hard enough for me to turn around and try to hit him. When I seen him, I was like, ‘Oh my god, Mike Tyson’. He was with about 20 girls with him and he sat down.

“I was right next to the bar where he sat down, and he was lounging… I came up to him, ‘I need an autograph’, I got one of the posters from, you know, the club.”

He added, “Security told me to back off like, ‘He’s gonna hit you man’. I was like ‘Yeah, I want him to hit me’. He signed it and that was it.”

Teofimo Lopez: Can he keep ascending under his father’s tutelage?

Teofimo Lopez beat Vasily Lomachenko in a high-stakes bout in October 2020. The current Lightweight champion is expected to face George Kambosos Jr. next. While that will be a defense forced on him by the IBF, Lopez is still a very young fighter.

Despite being just 23, Lopez is one of the best boxers in the world. His father has trained him for the entirety of his career and shows off the championship belts he got as a result of being his son’s trainer.