Antonio Tarver has given Teofimo Lopez the perfect strategy to beat Rolly Romero. But can he actually execute it inside the ring?
Lopez comes into the fight maybe a bit of an underdog on Saturday night, moving up to 147 pounds to challenge champion Romero.
A clash of boxers from America that can be very entertaining in the ring, a bit unpredictable outside of it.
Antonio Tarver of the US is a former champion 175 pounds that defeated the great Roy Jones, some of his advise to Teo to defeat Rolly is interesting in that;
- Tarver’s plan relies heavily on Teofimo establishing a stiff jab to control the range from the first bell.
- The strategy demands Teofimo throw combinations rather than relying on single, hunt-and-peck shots.
- Movement patterns are crucial–Teofimo must constantly circle to avoid Rolly’s dangerous power hand.
- Tarver emphasizes hitting the body early to drain Rolly’s explosive energy before the championship rounds.
- The plan forbids Teofimo from standing in the pocket and trading power shots with the aggressive Rolly.
- Teofimo is instructed to use feints and head movement to make Rolly guess before every exchange.
- A high, active guard is essential to deflect Rolly’s looping, unorthodox hooks that come from odd angles.
- The blueprint wants Teofimo to be the ring general, taking center and making Rolly chase him.
- Varying the timing of his attacks will prevent Rolly from loading up on predictable counter opportunities.
- The core question is if Teofimo has the discipline to fight tactically instead of giving in to a slugfest.
Listen, Lopez back in the day had beaten some top notch fighters in the sport, he relied on his speed and reflexes though — if you go back over the good days of Teofimo.
He is not as fast in recent years against Arnold Barboza and Shakur Stevenson and moving up in division for Saturday, that is not going to help his speed and reflexes, surely.
Let us see.
Roll on, pardon the pun — Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez Saturday night.
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