09 June 2023 , 10:32
947
0
Although neither boxer is heading into this fight in amazing form, there is still something incredibly special about the prospect of in New York City this weekend.
Lopez - the underdog at - has continuously called out the Scot ( ) over the last couple of years and throughout that time there has been real intrigue as to what the bout could potentially throw-up.
It’s got a little bit of everything... personality, tension, bad feeling and two men who on their day are elite pugilists.
This much anticipated bout is looking incredibly difficult to predict. We could witness something near the skill level of Devin Haney-Vasiliy Lomachenko or a throwback street fight that Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada would admire.
The Madison Square Garden Theatre will produce another boxing memory which can attach itself to the entire venue’s illustrious association with
The big question though is who will come out on top?
The Scotsman has something to prove in the Big Apple this weekend.
After an outstanding run of wins that culminated in becoming the undisputed , the manner of his controversial victory over Jack Catterall last time out has somewhat diminished his previous in-ring successes.
That is unfair to a fighter who carved his way through all comers before beating Jose Carlos Ramirez. However, the controversy surrounding that Catterall fight still lingers like a pungent odour which boxing never truly manages to get rid of.
The fallout between both fighters and their fans was toxic. 15 months on, it exists as a memory that remains a focal point whenever talk of the fight is brought up.
Since then, has become a husband and switched trainers from Ben Davison to Joe McNally. ‘The Tartan Tornado’ looks to be chomping at the bit and on the face of things appears more like the man who became one of the pound-for-pound bests in the sport.
Invigorated and healthy at the weight, Taylor is the best at super-lightweight and has boosted odds to win in rounds 1-6, was 17/2, now .
The Edinburgh native would love nothing more than to squash any doubts about his ability and remind everyone that he is the Kingpin of the , with a win in round 8 for the Scotsman boosted from 20/1 to .
Just like his opponent, Teofimo Lopez also has a point to prove .
The one-time king of the lightweights is a braggart who is either lying to himself or fooling everyone watching.
After dethroning the seemingly unbeatable , the boxing world fell at the feet of Lopez - but that was October 2020, and it's now June 2023.
It could prove to be the win that he needs to dine out on for the rest of his life if he doesn’t recapture the form that thrust him into the spotlight on that iconic Autumnal evening, with odds boosted on Lopez to win by KO, TKO or disqualification from 5/1 to .
Lopez has had three fights since then; a crushing defeat to George Kambosos Jr and wins against Pedro Campa and Sandor Martin.
The latter was unconvincing, and viewers were privy to a conversation post-fight that the 25-year-old had with himself and his team. “Do I still have it?” A question filled with doubt and worry after what he had just produced against Martin.
In the run-up to this weekend's mammoth showdown, Lopez has stated that his now well-documented post-fight self-doubt was purely for the cameras. It’s all good in the world of Teofimo, so he tells us, with odds on a win in rounds 10 – 12 making things even better with boosted odds from 16/1 to .
At his best, Lopez has speed and power that you wouldn’t go looking for. On Saturday, the New Yorker is either about to press the reset button, proving the Loma win was not a one-off, or the smokescreen will disappear for good!
*All odds correct at time of writing.
bet365 is committed to Safer Gambling. We promote gambling as an enjoyable leisure activity and we believe that gambling can only remain this way if you stay in control and gamble responsibly. However, we know that for some people gambling can stop being a harmless leisure activity and become a problem.
Help is close at hand. Visit or contact the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
Registration Required. T&Cs Apply, 18+. Begambleaware.org