WBO light welterweight champion Josh Taylor says he wants to give challenger Teofimo Lopez such a thrashing that he’ll either quit or get knocked out tonight in their headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York. The fight will be shown live on ESPN and ESPN+ at 3 a.m. BST (British Summer Time), which is 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT in the US.
With all the trash-talking that the former IBF, WBA & WBO lightweight champion Teofimo (18-1, 13 KOs) has done in the last two weeks, it’s angered the normally mild-mannered Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) to the point where he can’t wait to give him a real pasting.
Boxing fans will learn whether Teofimo’s will be heading downward or upward on Saturday. This fight will reveal much about Teo’s future viability in the 140-lb division.
If Taylor steamrolls Teofimo, it could be a wake-up call for the New Yorker to make him realize he doesn’t belong in this division.
In that case, Teo will need to try and find a way for him to return to the 135-lb weight class to salvage his career.
Taylor-Teofimo will headline on ESPN & ESPN+ this Saturday night. The winner of the fight could potentially defend against Devin Haney.
“All that does for me is gives me more fire in my belly, more desire to give him a real doing, a real pasting and really hurt him,” said Josh Taylor to Top Rank Boxing about his fight against Teofimo Lopez on Saturday.
“I feel I’m going to knock him out or retire him. I’ll give him that
much of a beating and accurate punching that’s going to bust him up so bad,” said Taylor about Teofimo.
“It really motivates me to put some pain on him and punish him for what he’s been saying. I really don’t need motivation for this fight, but with him saying things like that, it gives you that little bit
extra.
“So he’s going to pay for these words that he said. I don’t think so because a 500 Grand fine will put a halt to that,” said Taylor about the $500,000 fine that Devin Haney was given by the Nevada Commission for violently shoving Vasyl Lomachenko during their face-off at the weigh-in for their fight last month at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“So I’ll definitely be keeping my hands to myself. I don’t fancy a thing like that for pushing someone, and when it comes to me, I wouldn’t be pushing someone. So I don’t want to be getting there. I don’t want to be getting a 500 grand fine. I don’t fancy that, so
I’ll be keeping my hands in my pockets.
“I just can’t see a way for him to beat me unless he catches me with one of his big shots, which can happen to anyone I
suppose,” said Taylor about Teofimo.
