The 23-year-old Brooklyn-born prodigy faces the hardest test in boxing in Saturday’s lightweight title unification fight, the sport’s most anticipated event since the pandemic began
From the time Teófimo López turned pro as a teenager after the 2016 Olympics, the heavy-handed Brooklyn native was billed not only as a future world champion but as boxing’s next major star.
After taking the express lane from prospect to contender with one highlight-reel knockout after another, López made the first part look easy in December when he demolished the rugged veteran Richard Commey inside two rounds to capture the IBF lightweight championship. The second part is where it may get more complicated.
