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Arnold Barboza Jr. says he’ll make WBO gentle welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) remorse that he didn’t battle him years in the past when he challenges him for his belt on Might 2nd of their battle on Occasions Sq. in New York Metropolis.
Years of Ready
Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) remains to be irritated that it’s taken him so lengthy to get the prospect to problem Teofimo for his WBO belt as a result of he’s been ranked excessive with the sanctioning physique for ages. Lopez ignored his callouts, and selected to battle simpler opposition. High Rank picked Teofimo’s opposition, in order that they’re partly responsible.
“I knew he didn’t want to fight me for a reason. He was fighting guys like Campa and Claggett, guys not on my level. Right now, he’s fighting me at the worst possible time he could. He should have fought me back then,” stated Arnold Barboza Jr. to Ring Journal about how Teofimo Lopez averted him for the final three years since 2022.
Teofimo stated yesterday that he wasn’t avoiding Barboza Jr. all of the years. He stated he was being provided larger fights in opposition to Josh Taylor, George Kambosos Jr, and Vasily Lomachenko. Nonetheless, that doesn’t clarify why Lopez selected to battle these guys as a substitute of Barboza Jr:
– Steve Claggett– Jamaine Ortiz– Sandor Martin
Underdog Mentality
“Our prepare shouldn’t be stopping. We fought two of the highest guys [Jack Catterall and Jose Ramirez] within the final three, 4, and 5 months. It’s about to be the third within the final seven months. I’m like an old style throwback fighter now.
“I fight to the level of my opponent. Teo is supposed to be one of the best. People are doubting me. That’s okay. I went to Saudi as the underdog, I went to the UK as an underdog and I’m coming to New York as an underdog. A lot of people are making a lot of money off of me,” stated Barboza Jr.
Followers are doubting Barboza Jr. as a result of he’s not as properly generally known as Teofimo. Resulting from his combating type, he’s been a headliner battle, however many individuals haven’t had the prospect to see him.
Barboza’s battle in opposition to Jack Catterall on February fifteenth was the primary time in his twelve-year skilled profession that he’s been in the principle occasion. All of Barboza Jr’s different fights have been buried on undercards, which has stored followers from seeing him. Most informal boxing followers focus solely on headliners.
High Rank has completed a great job of turning Teo right into a minor star. He’d have been much more in style than hie is now if he’d stayed busy, hadn’t misplaced to Kambosos, and been extra open to taking dangerous fights in opposition to fighters like Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson and Keyshawn Davis.
