Teofimo Lopez picked up another win over the weekend, but it wasn't the performance many were expecting. Lopez considers Claggett a durable fighter and said he purposely chose to fight a fighter like Claggett to prepare himself for what might come next. Here are some of Lopez's comments on the result:
Lopez on his reaction after the Claggett fight
“It was a great fight. Muhammad Ali said that willpower is more important than technique. Today it wasn't about technique, it was about willpower, about determination. I knew what type of fighter I was facing. This guy is a triathlete and in perfect condition, which is a blessing for me as I have asthma.”
“I wasn't surprised at all (by his durability). I know what type of fighter I chose. I like tough fights, and tough fights bring out the best in me. Look, this is the most punches I've ever taken and landed in my career. It's amazing. That alone makes me proud of myself. I don't care what my face looks like.”
On the comments he made when facing a tough fighter like Claggett:
“This is saying, I don't care, I'm here to fight. Let's make the fight happen. I don't care what I look like, at the end my hand will be up…I needed this so bad. Everybody else, '47, '40, Bob said I did well but he doesn't look too happy, dammit. I don't care. I'm your last star and that's it. So you've got to deal with it, you know what I mean.”
Are you still interested in facing Isaac “Pitbull” Crews?
“Of course. Of course I'm ready. I'm excited. Now I'm in a better position to know how to face a fighter like that. I just need to do more conditioning, more track work and that's it. I think this gives guys more of a chance to jump on it. But we'll see what happens when we start hitting them.”
Are you still considering moving up to welterweight?
“Of course. That's the type of fight I want. But nobody fights like Steve Claggett. The only guy who can fight a little bit like that is Isaac Cruz, a pit bull who's smaller than me. But nobody else I can think of fights like that. They're all boxing.
“Crawford boxes, whether he's orthodox or southpaw. He doesn't do a lot of punching. So, I take this type of fight for a reason.”
“I like the way things are right now. Like God makes me look below average sometimes, and if I do, some other idiot comes along and shoots me up.”
