Can Claggett Upset Lopez?

The career of two-division world champion Teofimo Lopex has been one marked by highlight reel knockouts and an expedited rise up that saw him go from rising star, to a world champion, to an undisputed world champion rather quickly. As most know, his reign as an undisputed world champion was short in losing the title in his first defense following successfully unifying the crown with a decision victory over Vasyl Lomachenko in October 2020, to then unbeaten top contender George Kambosos in November 2021. As the rise up of Lopez was quick, so too would be the rebuild process.

A rebuild process, which began in August 2022 and saw him move up in weight to the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division, to win two bouts before defeating the previously unbeaten Josh Taylor in June of last year to win the WBO Jr. Welterweight world championship. Lopez’ second reign as a world champion began with his first title defense of the WBO crown earlier this year when he scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Jermaine Ortiz. Unfortunately for Lopez, the victory over Ortiz was not one that could be considered as a crowd pleaser. This was due to Ortiz simply not being willing to engage with Lopez and thus the result was a dreadful fight to watch where the champion simply did what he had to do. 

Now with that victory over Ortiz in February behind him, Lopez prepares to return to the ring on June 29th against current WBO number ten rated contender Steve Claggett at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, FL, which can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+. Claggett, who will enter the bout unbeaten since 2021, is a former Canadian Welterweight champion, a veteran of forty-seven professional fights, and will come into what will be his first shot at a world title riding a nine fight winning streak.

Despite having more experience than the twenty-one fight veteran Lopez, Claggett, who has won thirty-eight of his forty-seven fights, is likely viewed as a significant underdog going into this fight. In addition to being a former Canadian Welterweight champion, Claggett, a native of Calgary, Alberta, has won several regional titles in the Jr. Welterweight division including the North American Boxing Association (NABA) and WBO international titles in his career, Although these titles are not given much of a platform or credibility by some, the really is those titles do serve as a means of elevating a fighter into the world rankings amongst Boxing’s respective world sanctioning organizations and could lead to an opportunity like the one that Clagget has now. 

The main hurdle at least on paper for the challenger is he has not had the opportunity to show what he can do against fighters that would be deemed on world level and as such, this is viewed as a significant step up in caliber of opposition again Lopez, who despite being at a disadvantage in terms of overall experience, does have a significant edge in terms of experience at the top level of the sport. While Claggett does have seven defeats and two draws coming into this fight, he has only been stopped once in his career and that could prove to be an asset against a fighter known for his punching power such as Lopez.

How can Claggett find success and potentially score an upset in this fight? Claggett is a well-balanced boxer/puncher that has shown the ability to do a little of everything in his fights. Though the challenger has scored twenty-six knockouts in his career, the best strategy in this fight might be to implement a tactical strategy with an emphasis on counter punching. This was something that George Kambosos was able to do against Lopez and was able to score a knockdown of Lopez in the first round of that fight on the way to scoring a split decision over him. 

Claggett must keep in mind even if he is able to have some success and potentially win some rounds early in the fight that Lopez does have the power that can turn and end a fight suddenly. Simply put, he needs to be both cautious and tactical from start to finish and should also try and avoid trading punches with Lopez given the champion’s power. Something the challenger should also keep in mind is though he is not known for his Boxing ability, Lopez has also shown the ability to be a very skilled boxer on occasion, such as in his bouts against Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor. Neither Lomachenko nor Taylor were prepared for Lopez to implement a tactical Boxing strategy and were unable to make adjustments in the midst of battle. With Lopez’ ability to also box having been displayed more than once, Claggett needs to be prepared for that approach in addition to being leary of the champion’s power. 

While some may view this as a “Stay Busy" fight for the champion and may not give Claggett much chance in the fight given that he has yet to progress beyond a regional championship level, one should keep in mind that Boxing is and has always been a sport of opportunity. It is indisputable that Claggett is taking a step up here, but it may simply be a case of a fighter not getting the benefit of getting an opportunity against notable fighters, more so than a perceived difference in skill level that may show itself in this fight. One thing Lopez should keep in mind as this fight approaches is, despite the fact that George Kambosos was unbeaten at the time he fought him, there were some who did not take him seriously even though he was a mandatory challenger at the time. 

Like Claggett, Kambosos had succeeded on the regional level of the sport prior to getting his opportunity. Kambosos was able to take advantage of his opportunity and has since become a two-time world champion in his career, with his first coming by beating Lopez. Lopez should remember what happened to him the last time he faced a fighter, who was not given much chance or regard by some fans and others in the sport. Whether Steve Claggett can have a similar outcome as Kambosos remains to be seen.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Lopez vs. Claggett takes place on Saturday, June 29th at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, FL. The fight as well as it’s full undercard can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 5:45PM ET/2:45PM PT. 

ESPN+ is available on mobile,tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, and Smart TVs please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1    

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1  

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1  

Bazinyan Defeats Fox To Retain North American Championships In Montreal

Undefeated Super-Middleweight contender Erik Bazinyan scored a hard fought ten round majority decision over longtime contender Alantez Fox to retain his North American Boxing Federation (NABF) and North American Boxing Association (NABA) Super-Middleweight titles on Thursday night at Casino Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Despite the fight being fought in a small 16X16 ring, which is tailor-made for power punchers, Alantez Fox was able to make the fight competitive using his lateral movement to try and stay in the center of the ring and attempt to use his longer reach to keep Bazinyan at distance. This strategy did appear to work for Fox through several of the early rounds as even though Bazinyan was able to find a home periodically for his power punches, notably his right hand, it appeared as though it was Fox who was dictating the combat. 

As the fight progressed however, the pressure as well as the harder punches of Bazinyan began to wilt Fox’s movement. In round seven, Bazinyan connected with a flush overhand right, followed by a left hook to the jaw that appeared to have Fox in trouble, but he was able to survive the round. By the tenth and final round of the regional championship bout, Fox was fighting the effects of what had been a grueling clash of styles. Bazinyan responded by producing arguably his best round of the fight as he frequently had Fox in trouble and looking to hang on, which he did until the final bell. Official scores were: 95-95 (Even) and 98-92 (On two scorecards) resulting in Bazinyan retaining his North American championships via majority decision. Erik Bazinyan advances to 29-0, with 21 Knockouts. Alantez Fox falls to 28-4-1, with 13 Knockouts. 

Also on this card: 

In a shocker Jr. Welterweight Gabriel Valenzuela scored a first round knockout of former NABF Jr. Welterweight champion Yves Ulysse. A left uppercut to the body dropped Ulysse hard in the middle of the ring. Ulysse was very “Game” and tried to get up, but he could not get his legs under him and the bout was stopped. Official time of the stoppage was :52 of round one. Gabriel Valenzuela advances to 26-3-1, with 16 Knockouts. Yves Ulysse falls to 22-3, with 12 Knockouts. 

Unbeaten Middleweight Alexandre Gaumont scored a first round knockout of Carlos Montijo. Gaumont had a bit of trouble for a time getting through the high defensive guard of Montijo. This changed when he connected with a flush right uppercut to the head that split the guard followed by a left hook to the temple that sent Montijo down. Montijo did get to his feet following the knockdown, but was clearly disoriented and ended up going back down to the canvas resulting in the fight being stopped. Official time of the stoppage was 2:26 of round one. Alexandre Gaumont advances to 7-0, with 5 Knockouts. Carlos Montijo falls to 8-5, with 6 Knockouts.

In a clash of undefeated Welterweights, Christopher Guerrero scored a third round knockout of previously unbeaten Edwin Flores. Guerrero timed his shots from the opening bell and did not face much resistance from Flores. In the third round a double left hook to the body sent Flores down. Following Flores getting up, he attempted to throw a hook at Guerrero, but knocked himself off balance and was dropped by a counter left hook to the head for his trouble. Guerrero would close the show by sending the overmatched Flores down for the third and final time with a barrage of punches to secure the knockout victory. Official time of the stoppage was 2:49 of round three. Christopher Guerrero advances to 6-0, with 2 Knockouts. Edwin Flores falls to 3-1-1, with 3 Knockouts.

Unbeaten Jr. Lightweight Avery Martin-Duval scored a third round stoppage of Eduardo Garcia. Martin Duval spent most of the fight controlling the combat at a distance, ducking under Garcia’s punches, and countering effectively. A counter right hand dropped Garcia midway through the third round. Although Garcia was able to get up, the bout was stopped. Official time of the stoppage was 1:51 of round three. Avery Martin-Duval advances to 9-0-1, with 5 Knockouts. Eduardo Garcia falls to 7-2-1, with 2 Knockouts. 

Super-Middleweight Wilkens Mathie began the evening by making his professional debut in scoring a first round knockout of previously unbeaten Zsolt Birkas. From the start of the bout, Mathie used excellent timing and precision punching to score three knockdowns of Birkas to get the knockout victory. Official time of the stoppage was 2:49 of round one. Wilkens Mathie advances to 1-0, with 1 Knockout. Zsolt Birkas falls to 0-1-1, with 0 Knockouts.

Ultimately, this card, which was promoted by Camille Estephan’s  Eye of the Tiger Management served as a showcase for several of the prospects in the Eye of the Tiger stable, but still also produced an upside in Yves Ulysse falling in the first round to Gabriel Valenzuela, which could well lead to Ulysse retiring from competition as he eluded to prior to the fight. As for Erik Bazinyan, he entered his fight against Alantez Fox rated in the top ten in all five world sanctioning organizations. His victory over Fox will likely move him up the ladder of contention for a world championship. Whether or not after twenty-nine straight wins, Bazinyan is ready to face the top contenders and world champion in the Super-Middleweight division in Undisputed world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez remains to be seen. The time has at least come for him and his team to test the waters.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison