WBO junior welterweight champion “The Takeover” Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Steve “The Dragon” Claggett (38-8-2, 26 KOs) on Saturday night at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. Claggett applied a lot of pressure, while Teofimo landed the sharper punches. Lopez was in command in every round, but he didn’t come close to stopping the rugged Claggett. Scores were 120-108, 120-108, 119-109.
Former world champion Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) won by seventh round KO against Brandon Leon Benitez (21-3, 9 KOs). A Ramirez uppercut toppled Benitez at 2:46. Ramirez could be in line for a rematch against WBO champion Rafael Espinoza, who dethroned him last December.
Middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh (11-1, 5 KOs) avenged his only pro defeat in a rematch with a six round unanimous decision over Sona Akale (9-2, 4 KOs). Ali Walsh dropped Akale in round three and overcame a dislocated shoulder to get the win. Scores were 58-55, 57-56, 57-56.
Unbeaten junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (11-0, 9 KOs) scored a first round KO over Jose Zaragoza (9-9-2, 3 KOs). Vargas simply teed off on Zaragoza until the bout was stopped.
Junior welterweight Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez (16-1-1, 13 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over Jino Rodrigo (12-4-2, 10 KOs). Rodrigo dropped Rodriguez in round one, only to have Rodriguez floor him later in the first round. Rodriguez went on to win 98-91, 98-91, 97-92.
Wow, Nico is even worse than before. How would he even last two rounds with the top guys? He’s like some high school backyard boxer kid imitating what he saw on ESPN. No core strengths whatsoever.
He’s learning on the job.. he’s only 20. He can get better. But yeah, it’s very difficult to imagine he could hold a title.
They mistangly had him listed as 20 on the broadcast. Hes actually 23
Ah.. well, news to me
Maybe he was exhausted or injured himself in some way but that was Akale’s fault. I have no idea how he’s not all over Ali, seeing his shoulder looking like that and after he LITERALLY PUNCHES HIMSELF IN HIS OWN SHOULDER. Akale should have swarmed.
Definitely a dislocated shoulder. To me, he showed a pair of gonads that is seriously lacking in most fighters. There’s a very long list who would have called it quits between rounds. You’re right about Akale and not jumping on the wounded prey. Maybe Walsh dropped a couple of good ones that kept Akale honest.
Walsh = NOPE!!
Not a big fan of Walsh but give the guy some credit, he fought the last round with a dislocated shoulder. Pretty sure 99.9% of the keyboard warriors here couldn’t and wouldn’t do that
Benitez gave it a good try, but Ramirez was in stride. Let’s hope Ramirez gets a rematch against Espinoza.
Unless I hear or read Espinoza is hanging at too many parties, I will more than likely pick Espinoza in a rematch.
Nico Ali Walsh should train with his brother (UFC fighter ) and get some core strength and fitness. Way off being a “prospect” !
ESPN is impossible to watch. The Teo nut huggers and not giving Klaggett props is unwatchable. The Canadian did way better than the fake scorecards. The three uppercuts Teo landed sounded from the call boys to be 100 per round. Teo turned his back 4 times and held every time there was holding. He is a frontrunning punk and will be glad when he gets smashed.
Claggett was game during the whole fight. He pressed forward regardless of the offense he faced in each round. Teo, in my opinion, looked like the bigger man, but really did not have much horsepower on his punches. In addition, Teo was hit too much in many rounds with his flat-footed stance. Once Teo faces a bigger puncher, his defense better improve, or he will meet his fate.
100% spot on here Kurtis! Kriegel and Tessitore were making me nauseous hearing them praise Lopez like two male groupies!
Straight up disgusting how they ignored anything Claggett threw and those pathetic blind ass judges are a joke. I had Claggett winning 3 rounds just because he let his hands go way more at the beginning of the fight!
From now on I’m just gonna hit mute when I watch ESPN boxing! I don’t need two clowns force feeding me the crap they think they’re watching.
That’s why I leave the volume off and play someone’s watch-along on YT. At least they make funny comments instead of praising the A side like those clown on tv do.
I thought the same thing.. ESPN is in the tank for Lopez. Clagget was a guy with limited skills but unlimited toughness and discipline to use his game plan. I thought Lopez won fairly easily, but every round saw Clagget do some good work.
Hilarious: Lopez want’s to challenge Crawford. He looked pretty unremarkable tonight!
lopez just wants to talk about challenging crawford to self promote himself and his small fights but he really doesn’t want to fight him.
And you all don’t want Crawford fight canelo neither
Lopez is too small and Canelo is 3 weight classes higher than Crawford. He should unify 154, but I understand there aren’t a lot of big money fights there.
The best fight for size and actual competition is probably Boots Ennis, but that fight doesn’t draw much beyond the hardcore fans
Of course he would look and prepare diferent according to his rival
Is common to see boxers struggle with bad boxers and beat good boxers
When will Teo get a real trainer? Until then, he’s such a waste of good balance.
I watched the first two rounds and laughed so hard at the bogus compubox numbers after two rounds I had no other choice but to turn it off and go out. I knew exactly where the “fight” was headed.
Those ESPN stats were terrible! Claggett landed way more than he was getting credit for. Lopez won but Claggett was the one who came to fight.
I watched a YouTube video on how Compubox and/or PunchStat works. It’s completely subjective and in no way scientific or precise. Most networks treat them like gospel, but it’s still entirely open to interpretation and human manipulation.
Claggett got a new fan tonight. I have heard of him, but never actually saw him fight. I believe the scores were closer, but Lopez won outright. Lopez looked more marked up than claggett. Like to see Lopez in with pitbull.
I feel the Pitbull would be too much of power puncher against Teo since Teo tends to leave himself open way too many times each round. Pitbull would chop him down by mid to late rounds in my opinion.
I doubt it goes to the cards Scoob. Either relentless pressure from Cruz breaks Lopez down or a sudden counter from Lopez cracks pitbull and ends the show.
Probably right, Scooby! That’s why I want to see it. I don’t think teo has faced a formidable power puncher recently especially at 140. Taylor was decent, but the rest of his fights at 140 have been guys with no pop. Pitbull may bring a little more power and it’s for another belt.
I give Lopez a lot of respect for being able to keep up that work rate against Claggett. Claggett just wouldnt stop throwing yet Lopez out worked him. I can see other fighters fading late. Lopez might have been marked up but Claggett’s punches were lighter than Chris Byrd.
Good win but not enough to generate interest in a Crawford fight, maybe Tank. Clagget is tough, his defense is a bit like Winky Wright, if only he had power.
“ESPN is impossible to watch. The Teo nut huggers and not giving Klaggett props is unwatchable. The Canadian did way better than the fake scorecards. The three uppercuts Teo landed sounded from the call boys to be 100 per round. Teo turned his back 4 times and held every time there was holding. He is a frontrunning punk and will be glad when he gets smashed”
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I didn’t watch this fight tonight for that very reason and unless it’s a fight I just can’t miss, I won’t watch any more with Tessitore and his cohort. They just ruin watching a fight for me. I could take or leave Bradley, but Tess is just too much to take. He didn’t used to be this bad, but has progressively gotten worse.
I disagree only slightly. Tessitore HAS always been this bad. Like Tony Schiavone in yhe 90s. “This is the biggest moment ever to happen in our great sport!” That kind of thing.
Clagget fought a good fight, as he forced the action and tried to keep constant pressure on Lopez, but Lopez outboxed ,outfoxed, and outmaneuvered him. Clagget kept a solid workrate, but Teofimo did the bull/matador thing and counter punched his way to a clear victory. I’d give his performance an A.
ok now Teo is ready for Crawford . lets see it! SARCASM!
teo, top rank , espn selling B.S.
ESPN Top Rank Productions are boring they lack the electric atmosphere needed to hype a casual if that makes any sense
As for the fight, Teo is a fighter who is willing to go up against those guys that can and will make him look vulnerable and I like that I just feel he needs to maybe not fight down to his oppositions level
He had great work done today this can only help him if he studies film on this fight to see what he can improve on and get ready for fighters of this type high volume pressure guys such as Pitbull
Honestly that’s the only fight I like at 140
Teo at 147 is coming and maybe Barrios could be a great fight
I thought Teo looked pretty sharp, not sure what fight some of you were watching, but I digress.
Haters gonna hate. You know the drill.
If he moves up to 147 I want to see him
versus after-suspension Ryan. Would be
interesting. At 140, I think he would handle
Pit Bull with some difficulty. I doubt if he
ever fights Tank. By the time Tank moves up to 140 Teo will already be at 147.
DMV-Right? I don’t get it. They were watching the fight with their “I hate Teofimo” tinted glasses on.
DMV-Right? I don’t get it. They were watching the fight with their “I hate Teofimo” tinted glasses on.
I’m not a big fan of Teo’s dad. This father
and son boxing stuff is getting weird.
He was never a fighter, but then Angelo
Dundee was never a fighter. I think Teo
is a champion regardless of who his trainer is. He’s not always going to
knockout everybody. He’s not going to look great against everybody. No matter.
Bud and Spence are already at 154. I doubt if those fights happen. Lopez vs
Connor Benn would be good. Still think
Teo vs Ryan would be a phenomenal
fight. I know Ryan has his haters too.
Teo would tear up Haney at 140 or 147.
Haney is like a 22 bullet. No stopping power. Ryan showed the world how to
beat Haney. Pure offense does it. If you
ain’t pitching, you’re catching.
I agree- Teofimo could definitely benefit from a better trainer. Hes a naturally gifted athlete and fighter, and that often turns around to bite a fighter in the ass. They dont have to rely on boxing fundamentals and are able to get away with things most fighters cant. A good trainer could help iron out some of the flaws in Teo’s game
I actually preferred ESPN Friday night fights to this..undercards were pretty competitive n there was a chance of an upset main events…commentary they unbiasedly talked about the division of the fighters fighting..I used to watch Friday night fights just to hear what’s happening in boxing
vargas hope they could match him with a worthy opponent ali walsh got bood both gotthe decision ramirez looked good clagett came to fight teo lopez is a espn product teo is not a takeover but a run away person with some skills
the takeover is more like the take down . average, opportunist, with a big mouth .
Teofimo needs Gamache back or a better trainer. I know his dad has gotten him this far, but he is naturally talented and can go further. His footwork is terrible. He crosses his feet when moving all the time. Backed himself into the ropes, squares up in that shoulder roll. Can I go on? These are all flaws that should easily be fixed in the gym. Fix that stuff and he will be able to get more KOs. Just loads up on shots, not using a jab at all to set up his counters. He won easily, but should have won easier. Clagget too limited
KP…the shoulder roll Teo uses is holding Teo back…could be more effective…shoulder roll not for everybody
Another lousy top rank show, teo sucks
Lopez got the win, but he is not an impressive fighter, and he’s not close to being in Crawford’s class. He should instead fight more often. Do more, talk less.
Teo could not knock out an unknown fighter, I turned the tv off. Teo is a boring fighter.
Teofimo is a bum. He couldn’t stop a lower level fighter and everyone knew the fight was close. Even if the refs and the announcers try to say he won every round
I can see why Lopez was so calm and relaxed this last week before the fight. i’ve been around the boxing game for a long time and always amazes me when you see a fighter like Claggett who is coming forward and throwing hooks, and has zero power, i mean 0, how is that possible, seems like a nice young man, decent chin, good motor, i don’t know, but he got a chance at a title, i never. and lopez, with espn trying hard to tell us how great he is, his days are numbered.
Claggett whom I’ve never heard of took Lopez 12 rounds and now Lopez wants Crawford, what a joke!
Like to see Lopez fight Catteral next and let’s see if he can deal with Catterals arkward movement and skills.
Lopez, there is a saying don’t put the cart before the horse.