Teofimo Lopez just spoke to media reporters about why he’s announcing his retirement immediately following a big win and while he’s still very young, and also touches on a few other topics including his intention to drop his belts. Here’s some excerpts of what Lopez had to say below.
Lopez on how he felt fighting at 140 against Taylor
“140 feels great. I think now my body has finally got comfortable at it, finally caught up to the 140 division. And feels great now, I think I showed that this past weekend.”
On Spence calling out the sanctioning bodies for all the fees they collect with no transparency as to where that money goes
“It’s always been that way. How is it two, three percent for each guy, not just one...If you’ve got more belts, like I’ve had, I’ve had all of them, you get a fee of like 10-12%.”
On if he’s considered formally dropping his belts
“Yeah, I spoke with Paco (Valcarcel), they’re doing an event for me in Puerto Rico. I’ll be out there to receive the belt but I already told him like if not, just vacate it already. The Ring Magazine...I said ‘hey can you vacate it?’ and he’s like ‘technically you can have it for a whole year. Now after a year if you’re not in the sport no more, then we vacate it.’ That one I can’t do.”
On if he’s really willing to pass up big fights against Haney, Tank, and Stevenson going forward
“I am. Yeah, I am. I think the reason why I’m walking away — it’s not about the competitiveness. I could beat those guys if it’s just those guys that I’m fighting. I’m fighting the referee, I’m fighting the judges, I’m fighting their cornerman, and I’m fighting the commentators. It’s too many fights for me. That right there is like enough is enough.
“Say I sign a contract with Tank and we face each other, they’ll find a way to postpone the fight and keep postponing the fight, having me wait my time. And if I pull that, what’s everybody gonna say? Teofimo is scared.
“Gervonta, you a fuckin’ pussy, you are a bitch (for having rehydration clauses). I don’t care what anybody says, you can be all that rah-rah thug life and scream and jock your head on Chief Keef Sosa. Man, with your dick-sucking lips, get out of here.”
On how he would describe his career
“Double greatest, some boss shit. That was some boss shit right there. Just when everybody thinks that I’m back on, I say ‘peace.’ I love it.”
On who would be the toughest fight out there for him around his weight class
“Technicality-wise, Shakur. Power and some speed, would be Tank. Devin Haney’s the last of the bunch. And I think Shakur knows it, Tank knows it, that’s lunch food.
“Ryan DM’d me and everything, boy desperate for some payday. He DM’d me to fight, after the Josh Taylor fight. So I read it, unread it, deleted it.”
On his contract status with Top Rank
“I’ve got like six, eight months left with them. But anybody can buy that contract just like Floyd did with the $750k. And Floyd didn’t buy his contract out, it was Al Haymon.
“You know why I retired and I like it, and why it feels good? Because I don’t gotta deal with this shit no more. I love everybody but it comes to a point when you’re this great at this young age, there’s only two things that can happen in this, and I’ve seen it in the past and I don’t want to be that guy. You either go six feet under or you go and be a slave.
“Slavery is when someone is telling you where you gotta go, what you gotta do, what you have to be, and if they say ‘sit down’ you gotta sit down...I can’t be that person...I don’t need that.
“My father’s like ‘we got it going, let’s go get this’ and I’m like ‘I want to be a trainer, I want to be a promoter, I really want to be a commentator. I really want to express those things and put my foot on the door in the boxing industry. Like literally, not just from a fighter standpoint and do all this Mandingo fighting, I’m tired of that.”
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