Teofimo Lopez Jr. puts his WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight titles on the line against challenger Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday, February 8 in Las Vegas. Looking to take advantage of the Super Bowl hype in the Nevada desert oasis, the contest pits two boxers looking to make more of an impact in the division after recently suffering their first professional defeat. Though he won his last three fights, Lopez still has the sting of a setback to George Kambosos hanging over him. Lopez was upset by 13/1 underdog George Kambosos in a split decision. Still, Lopez is a prohibitive -685 favorite on the early boxing betting line.
Ortiz makes the move up a class after a successful 2022 that saw him win the vacant IBF lightweight title with a unanimous decision over former WBO junior lightweight champ Jamel Herring. He suffered his first pro setback next time out showing grit and determination going toe to toe with former three-division champ Vasiliy Lomachenko. There are no moral victories in boxing, though, and anything short of a resounding win will damage any chances Ortiz might have of moving up the food chain. Oddsmakers don’t expect that to happen positioning the challenger as a +448 underdog.
Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz Betting Odds
Jamaine Ortiz +448
Teofimo Lopez Jr. -685
The 12-round junior welterweight title fight between WBO champ Teofimo Lopez Jr. ( 19-1, 13 KOs ) and challenger Jamaine Ortiz ( 17-1-1, 8 KOs ) will take place on Thursday, February 8, 2024 at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. and will air on ESPN.
Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz Fight Preview
A lot is at stake for Lopez with talk of future fights possibly against IBF junior welterweight champ Subriel Matias or a showdown with former undisputed lightweight and current WBC junior welterweight strap holder Devin Haney. All that talk of unification bouts is worthless if Lopez doesn’t take care of business against a scrappy Ortiz. There is a history between the fighters when they met as amateurs in the final of the 2015 National Golden Gloves Championship. Lopez won on points giving him a headstart to his career.
Big time fights are nothing new for Lopez, who’s been involved in some kind of title encounter in half of his professional bouts. In 2019 Lopez, ranked No. 4 by the IBF, scored a unanimous decision victory over undefeated Masayoshi Nakatani to earn a shot at lightweight champ Richard Commey. In a destructive display, Lopez stopped his opponent with a second-round TKO. Nine months later Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko agreed to a WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine unification bout. Lopez pulled off the stunning upset by wide margins on the scorecards.
The tables turned on Lopez in November 2021 when in his first unified title defense he was stunned by massive underdog George Kambosos in a split decision. Lopez was sent to the canvas in the first round but recovered and appeared to get stronger as the fight progressed even knocking his opponent down in the 10th round. However, it wasn’t enough as Lopez lost for the first time as a pro.
A move up to light welterweight produced three wins but the last two against Sandor Martin and Josh Taylor were unspectacular prompting Lopez to consider retiring from the sport. The chance to defend the super lightweight titles he won by beating Taylor, however, was too strong.
Bet Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz
I guess oddsmakers know something I don’t positioning Lopez as a huge favorite on the early line. He does have higher profile wins on his resume and both fighters tangled with pound-for-pound king Lomachenko with Lopez getting a win, but still the odds offer very little value if betting straight up. This has the potential to be a tricky title defense for Lopez with Ortiz motivated and eager to make a statement. However, with Lopez reevaluating his position after considering retiring, expect him to make a run to the top of the weight class starting with a win over Lopez. I would look at ways to shrink the odds, though, with a UD the most likely finishing method.
Boxing Odds Pick: Teofimo Lopez Jr. / Unanimous Decision
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