“Will Continue to Root Against Him:” Teofimo Lopez Faces Brutal Backlash From Fans for Alleging Racial Bias at Top Rank

Teofimo Lopez has stirred a hornet’s nest. The former unified Lightweight champion reportedly lashed out at Andre Ward and Timothy Bradley, specialist commentators at ESPN, for distorting the truth regarding his fights. Additionally, amidst his angry, all-encompassing outburst, Lopez made reference to “Black fighters,” which has been interpreted as racist by many.

Talking about the Hall of Fame commentators, Teofimo Lopez said, “So watch the Kambosos fight without the commentators, watch my last fight without the commentators, and you will see the results... I slipped. They called it right away. What did Bradley say, ‘He’s hurt, he’s hurt!’ So I don’t sugarcoat sh!t….”

The twenty-five-year-old, Brooklyn-born son of Honduran immigrants said the June 10 fight against Josh Taylor would be his ‘last fight’ to broadcast on ESPN. He added fuel to the fire when he continued by saying, “And just to put it on the spot, this is my last fight on ESPN. I’m sorry, but I’m not sorry. This is why this fight (Josh Taylor) means everything to me. If they want the Black fighters, they can keep them. I brought Bud Lite to Top Rank.”

‘Boxingscene.com,’ which reported the incident, also shared the details through its Twitter handle @boxingscene. Their message read, “Teofimo Lopez Rails Against ESPN Commentators, Accuses Top Rank of Preferring Black Fighters.” The post came early today and has already witnessed nearly 70k views. Needless to say, a flurry of angry protestations chimed in, chiding the younger boxer.

Fans react to Teo’s comments

A used named Ced wondered how a young boxer like Lopez could take steps leading him to early professional ruination!

Pulling down Lopez’s recent performance piece by piece, a user named Rafael pointed out how he lost to George Kambosos Jr., who lost two matches to Devin Haney, the undisputed champion. Thus far, the only distinguished achievement in the Brooklynite’s record is the victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko. Hence he should focus on his career and get into big fights. It would do Lopez some good if he learned from the life of the great Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

Another user told Lopez to focus on the upcoming fight with Josh Taylor, his stablemate at Top Rank. The user believes the former unified Lightweight champion tends to lose focus. He still has many more years of boxing left. However, his days as one of boxing’s strong contenders might be over.

The following user advised Teofimo Lopez to stop ‘complaining’ and focus on the sport. Talking about promotions-related issues and fighters belonging to other racial groups doesn’t bode well.

Read More: “Nobody Beats Lomachenko”: Teofimo Lopez Gives His Verdict on ‘Loma’ vs. Devin Haney

Telling Teofimo Lopez to pay more attention to boxing, user Charlie Palmer shared a report contrary to Lopez’s allegations about Top Rank. As many fans might remember, suing Top Rank last year, world champion Terence Crawford claimed that they have a bias preferring “white and Latino fighters!” as reported by ESPN.

In a scathing criticism of Lopez, not mincing any words, one user called Lopez a “clown” and an “embarrassment.”

As per the report on BoxingScene, Teofimo Lopez Sr., the boxer’s father, in light of the criticism, spoke about his son on another platform, reiterating that his son was neither a racist nor a bigot. According to the senior, Lopez Jr. seems to have realized that he committed an error and has been told to offer an immediate apology and acknowledge his wrongdoing. What’s your take on the whole situation? Let us know your views and opinions in the comments section below.

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