Teofimo Lopez defeats Vasyl Lomachenko to become undisputed lightweight champion
- Lopez wins unanimous decision as he dominates Ukrainian great in Las Vegas
- ‘I am definitely not agreeing with the scorecards,’ Lomachenko says, ‘I want to go home and to review the fight to see’
Teofimo Lopez defeated Vasyl Lomachenko on points to become the undisputed lightweight world champion in their unification fight in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.
The 23-year-old Lopez won a unanimous judges’ decision and put on a fine display against Ukrainian great Lomachenko, who said after the fight that he disagreed with the judges.
Brooklyn native Lopez advanced his record to 16-0 as he secured the win in front of just 100 people at the MGM Grand Conference Centre.
“I had to dig deep, man,” Lopez said following his career-defining win. “I’m thankful. I’m grateful. And each and every day, I take that in. I thank God first because I couldn’t do it without him.”
Lopez had the better of the Ukrainian but came out guns blazing in the final round, going for the knockout despite having been told in his corner by his trainer father that he was ahead on points.
“I’m a fighter. I gotta dig in deep. I knew he was coming,” he explained after the fight. “I didn’t know if they had him up on the scorecards or not, and I love to fight. I can bang, too. I don’t care, man. I’ll take one to give one. That’s what a true champion does. I find a way to win.”
