There was a lot of buzz surrounding Teofimo Lopez after his dominant unanimous decision victory over Vasyl Lomachenko in October 2020. At that time, Lomachenko was still being heralded as one of the next greats after winning two Olympic gold medals and two World Championships to become the most decorated amateur boxer of the modern era. However, we have seen Lomachenko’s star fall significantly since that point, and Lopez (18-1 with 13 knockouts) hasn’t acquitted himself well in his three fights after his breakthrough performance. That has led to the oddsmakers pegging Josh Taylor (19-0 with 13 knockouts) as the favorite for their welterweight championship showdown next weekend although Taylor isn’t as big of a name as Lopez.
The WBO and The Ring light welterweight championship belts will be on the line next Saturday in the Big Apple when Josh Taylor takes on Teofimo Lopez. This fight will be available in the United States on ESPN and ESPN Plus with the promotion starting at 10 p.m. ET. The main event is expected to start around 11:15 p.m. ET.
When: Saturday, June 10, 2023
Where: Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Why: WBO and The Ring light welterweight titles
Teofimo Lopez vs Josh Taylor Betting Odds
Teofimo Lopez +143
Josh Taylor -171
The oddsmakers have made Josh Taylor the favorite by the boxing betting odds. If you are unfamiliar with betting on boxing, a $171 bet on Taylor would return a $100 profit if he were to hold onto his belts and move to 20-0. A $100 bet on Lopez would return $143 in profit, so there is value in betting on him at these odds.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Teofimo Lopez vs Josh Taylor Preview
There was a lot of belief in Teofimo Lopez from the start of his career as he knocked out his first five opponents. Lopez didn’t take on a lot of big names, but he was a Golden Gloves champion and showed very quick hands and good power. That led to Lopez claiming minor titles within two years of turning pro, and he got his shot at Vasyl Lomachenko after a second round TKO of Richard Comney in December 2019 to win the IBF lightweight belt.
Since his upset win over Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez has been rather disappointing. Lopez was a big favorite by the boxing betting odds over George Kambosos Jr., but he lost a split decision in this very venue to Kambosos. He bounced back with a win over relative nobody Pedro Campa, yet Lopez only defeated Sandor Martin by a split decision in his last bout back in December.
Meanwhile, Josh Taylor comes into this fight with a 19-0 record. He stopped each of his first six opponents within two rounds, and that led to him earning a Commonwealth title shot. His victory earned him more chances to win minor titles, and he eventually won the IBF light welterweight title over Ivan Baranchyk in May 2019.
From there, Taylor got to challenge for the WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles. This was his toughest challenge to date, as he was only able to win a majority decision against Regis Prograis. He knocked out his first challenger within one round and then unified the light welterweight division by taking the WBC and WBO light welterweight titles from Jose Ramirez two years ago. His title defense against Jack Catterall last February was less than stellar, but he appears very focused on the task at hand.
Taylor refused to get baited by Lopez at the press conference on Wednesday, so that makes him my pick in this bout.
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