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Teofimo Lopez is set to defend his WBO junior welterweight world titles against Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday, Feb. 8 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. In the 10-round lightweight co-feature, U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis will face former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza.
Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) claimed the IBF lightweight world title in December 2019 with a second-round knockout victory against Richard Commey.
He then secured the WBA, WBO, and WBC Franchise titles with a win over Vasiliy Lomachenko in October 2020 but lost them to George Kambosos Jr. in a stunning split decision 13 months later. Moving up to junior welterweight, Lopez defeated Pedro Campa with a seventh-round TKO in August 2022 and won against Sandor Martin via split decision that December. In his last fight, Lopez defeated former undisputed champ Josh Taylor to earn the WBO and Ring Magazine titles.
Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs) suffered a competitive 12-round decision loss to pound-for-pound great Vasiliy Lomachenko in October 2022 before returning 11 months later to secure a 10-round decision over Antonio Moran in his junior welterweight debut.
After a recent training session at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas, Lopez expressed his determination:
"Before I fought Josh Taylor, I used to take a break and not train so much. I wasn't always in the gym. But after becoming a two-division world champion, I started staying in the gym.
My trainer, who is my father, always wanted me to stay in the gym. So, I started doing that last August. Since then, I've gotten faster, much stronger, and my IQ is much sharper. It's because I haven't stopped training since August of last year. And I'm not going to stop. After I beat Jamaine Ortiz, I will keep staying in the gym."
"The end result is that 'The Showman' is returning. There will definitely be a knockout. It's not going the distance. I'm not going to leave it in the judges' hands at all. So, everyone tune in, and get your popcorn ready."
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