Teofimo Lopez claims his training for Rolly Romero is better than it was for Shakur Stevenson. We analyze the boxing experts’ verdict on whether he can really change his habits.
First off, Lopez is talking the talk about preparation, he says on one hand he is focused on track stuff, on the other hand he then says he has been focused on his boxing technical stuff.
It is tough to understand him sometimes, he is all over the place often.
Some things to note on preparation for Saturday night’s Rolly Romero fight for him;
- Rolly’s come-forward style suits Lopez better than Shakur’s defense
- But Lopez’s low punch output (6/round) is a habit, not opponent-dependent
- He struggled to sustain pressure against Shakur and Ortiz
- Training camps rarely change ingrained single-shot instincts
- He needs volume to beat Rolly, but history shows he won’t throw enough
- The “hunger” that beat Loma seems diminished
- He prefers counterpunching, not being the aggressor
- Rolly will stand in front of him — that should help, but only if he engages
- Preparation may be sound, but execution is the real question
- Verdict: prep is fine; his mentality and habits are the problem
The overall thing is if Lopez does not have enough output in his punches like he did against Shakur Stevenson earlier this year, he is toast.
Romero has the beating of him if Teofimo Lopez does not have a much higher output of shots.
Shakur Stevenson defeated Lopez by a large UD points decision earlier this year.
Rolly Romero comes into the fight as champion having defeated Rolly Romero to claim a belt at 147 pounds last year.
Lopez a little more active but in bad form at the moment.
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