WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) and challenger Steve Claggett (38-7-2, 36 KO) weighed in successfully on Friday at the weigh-in for Saturday’s headliner at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.
Claggett, 34, looked a little healthier than the emaciated, water-depleted champion Teofimo, who looked like a fighter who needed to move up to welterweight soon.
After weighing in, Teofimo ranted about how none of the top fighters in thie 140-lb division wanted to fight him. So, he was forced to fight #8 WBO Claggett. However, Teofimo left out that he picked Claggett over unbeaten Raymond Muratalla and Keyshawn Davis. Claggett was his baby.
Saturday’s Teofimo vs. Claggett event starts at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+.
Co-Feature and Undercard Highlights
In the co-feature, former WBO Robeisy Ramirez (13-2, 8 KOs) weighed 124.8 lbs for his 10-round fight against contender Brandon Leon Benitez (21-2, 9 KOs). #6 WBO Benitez weighed in 127.1 lbs.
This is the first fight for the two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy since his loss to Rafael Espinoza last December.
If Robeisy loses on Saturday night against Benitez, it will be his third defeat as a pro, signaling that he needs to decide whether to continue his career or retire.
Robeisy is not the same fighter in the pro ranks as he was in the amateurs, and one reason for that is he’s put on weight, slower, heavier, and not as quick fighting at featherweight.
When Robeisy won his two gold medals in the Olympics, he did it at flyweight in 2012 and bantamweight in 2016. He’s quite a bit heavier now in 2024 at 30-years-old.
Complete Card Weigh-in Results
– Robeisy Ramirez 124.8 vs. Brandon Leon Benitez 127.1
– Nico Ali Walsh 156.9 vs. Sona Akale 156.3
– Emiliano Fernando Vargas 139.8 vs. Jose Zaragoza 139.1
– Elvis Rodriguez 141.6 vs. Jino Rodrigo 141.2
– Lorenzo Medina 235.6 vs. Detrailous Webster 247.7
– Rohan Polanco 142.4 vs. Luis Hernandez 143
– Yan Santana 127 vs. Brandon Valdes 127
– Euri Cedeno 161.4 vs. Dormedes Potes 161.7
Teofimo’s Confidence and Future Plans
“We ain’t never ducked nobody,” said Teofimo Lopez to the media when asked about his interest in moving up to 154 to face Terence Crawford in his next fight after Saturday’s contest against Steve Claggett.
“Don’t miss the fight. Tomorrow night.”
“Steve Claggett is a vet. He signed the contract. He knows what he’s getting himself into. None of these other fighters that you guys want to see us with didn’t want to sign the contract. We sent it over,” said Teofimo to Fighthype after weighing in.
“We never dodged anyone,” said Teofimo. “That’s why we fought Lomachenko in my 16th pro fight. Who else does that? These guys [Gervonta Davis] are in their 30th pro fight and still fighting Frank Martin and Linares.
“Scared right away and then tried to hide it with a pocket face,” said Teofimo on what he saw during his face-off with Claggett at the weigh-in. “What I saw today was the energy. I’m going to outbox. Commey the s***. Loma the s***. Josh Taylor the s***. All three components all in one. It may not go 12. That’s what we trained our whole career for,” said Teofimo.
