In the Corner of Confession: Teofimo Sr. Admits Fault in Son's Loss

Teofimo Lopez Sr., the guiding force behind WBO super lightweight champ Teofimo Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs), threw in the towel on the single blemish in his son's record, attributing it to his own corner advice. "I clipped his wings," he admitted, taking full responsibility for the setback against George Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs).

"I dimmed his brilliance, reduced him to just another fighter in the ring. The defeat to Kambosos, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and marital strife, had him enter the ring under the weather—a fight he had no business in that night.

I stripped him of his ring smarts. I snuffed out his uncanny ability to read adversaries and dissect their game within moments. That strategic edge? I benched it. In the heat of battle, my advice drowned out his instinct to observe and anticipate. Picture this: Teofimo dodging, weaving, then unloading a stealthy straight right followed by a blinding left hook. That combo? Unbeatable.

My vision was clouded. Post-Kambosos, it hit me—I had to scrub the playbook. It gnawed at me, knowing I had him jabbing on a loop every two, every three seconds. It was like taking body blows, realizing my mistake. I robbed him of his knack to size up and counter. The kid's a prodigy, plain and simple. His inner circle has seen what he's capable of—outclassing the competition with insights others miss. I lost sight of that. Flashback to him at 17 and 18, making quick work of seasoned pros like Shawn Porter and Jordenis Ugas with slick maneuvers.

I pushed for aggression, but it only bogged him down. Reviewing the tapes, it clicked—I was off track. His speed, adaptability, and sheer quickness outpaces the lot. The agile, dynamic Teofimo? Undefeated," Lopez Sr. reflected.

Teofimo Jr.'s stumble came against Cambosos via the judges' scorecards in November 2021. Fast forward to 2023, and Lopez clinched the WBO bantamweight title against Josh Taylor, rebounding with championship gold.