Teofimo Lopez will return against Arnold Barboza Jr. on Cinco De Mayo weekend in Times Square.
Teofimo Lopez holds a record of 21-1, with wins over Josh Taylor and Vasyl Lomachenko.
His career took a turn when he lost a huge upset to George Kambosos Jr., and Lopez has had multiple fights since, against Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz, where fans believe he lost.
Some suggested the turning point was one seemingly innocuous moment in which Lopez took a body shot from the world’s strongest man – ‘The Mountain’.
Teofimo Lopez stays standing after huge shot from The Mountain
In a clip shared to social media, Lopez can be seen in the gym with Hafþór Björnsson, also known as ‘The Mountain’ due to his role in ‘Game of Thrones’ as a huge violent warrior.
The clip shows Lopez bracing for a body shot from Björnsson, who often goes by Thor.
The clip was reportedly posted just one month before the Kambosos fight, which Lopez lost, when Thor was coming off the back of his own boxing win against arm-wrestler Devon Larratt.
Despite the huge shot, Lopez somehow remains upright, and takes a deep breath before saying: “That was good.”
Fans commented on the post, suggesting it was this shot that created a turning point in Lopez’s career:
“Pretty sure this is when he got that lung tear that made it hard for him to breathe and nearly die in his fight against Kambosos”
“When his dumb— started having breathing problems made me loose my money betting on him against Kambosos”
One even said: “Was never the same after this.”
Lopez has fought five times since his loss to Kambosos, who beat Jake Wyllie in his latest fight, but has been hot and cold in his performances, with many believing he was on the lucky side of some skewed decisions.
Teofimo Lopez was seen asking his trainer “Do I still got it?” after controversial win
In his second fight since his upset loss, Lopez fought Martin for the WBO international super lightweight title.
Despite being dropped in the second round, and many believing he lost, Lopez picked up a split decision victory. Even though he won, though, he didn’t seem happy with his performance.
In footage captured after the fight, Lopez can be seen asking his corner if he still has it. ‘It’ being the skills and talent to remain at the top of the sport.
Lopez proved he does still have it in his next fight against Josh Taylor, but it remains to be seen how he will cope against the 32-0 Barboza Jr., who Lopez slapped in their face-off.
Lopez called for 15-round fights to return to boxing in a highly controversial opinion earlier this year.