The Teofimo Express Rolls Into MGM National Harbor on July 19th

By G. Leon

01/07/2019

The Teofimo Express Rolls Into MGM National Harbor on July 19th

Teofimo Lopez Interview

Greg Leon: How's everything going in preparation for Masayoshi Nakatani on July 19th? Teofimo Lopez: "I'm heading back to Las Vegas right now (on Saturday afternoon) and it's back to work. I was at the fights last night with my family, but now it's time to get it. Everything's good though, I'm going to be ready to go on July 19th." GL: Is it easy for you to stay motivated for Nakatani knowing that your first world title fight with Richard Commey is on deck? Teofimo Lopez: "I've only been locked in and motivated for Nakatani since the fight was announced. It's an IBF eliminator to make me the mandatory and Commey's going to be next, so I'm very excited about that. It's a great opportunity and what I've been waiting for, but I'm on focused on July 19th right now."
 
GL: Have you looked at Nakatani at all?
 
Teofimo Lopez: "No, but my father has. I know he's tall, he uses his jab, he uses his distance and when you come in he likes to throw the right hand left-hook. My father's been telling me we're just going to work on the body and we're going to dissect this dude."
 
GL: Do you have a prediction on how the Nakatani fight will end?
 
TL: "What's going to happen is, it's going to be a great show, it's going to be my first main event, but not my last. It's going to be one to remember, I'm definitely going to be putting on a show, I'm going to get in there and get the knockout. We're going to see what he can take and what he can't take. The fight is scheduled for twelve rounds, but it's not going twelve rounds."
 
GL: What did you think about Commey's performance against Beltran?
 
TL: "I was expecting a little bit more from them to be honest, but they did what they had to do. Beltran is a vet and he's been in there with many great fighters in the past and he's still got that experience. Even when he got hurt in the first round, he got knocked down twice, he managed to come back. Commey looked fatigued at one point and I almost thought Beltran might have a chance to turn the tables, but Commey did what he had to do and his power didn't go down, it was still there and he was able get Beltran out of there."
 
GL: Can Commey keep his title if he's that hittable fighting you?
 
TL: "It's a great fight and when it happens the people are going to have to tune in to see how it all goes down. It's a great match-up and I don't believe he can keep his title against me, especially if he's that hittable. But first things first, I've got business to take care of on July 19th, after getting rid of Nakatani then the people will see. It could be in November and hopefully it could be at Madison Square Garden in New York. We can't overlook Nakatani, but when I fight Commey it's going to be a must watch event. It's a must see fight with two powerful fighters going at it."
 
GL: It's clearly been a hot minute since you've gotten faded. Is this a new look or will you get faded up before the fight?
 
TL: "It's a new look. My wife wanted to see what my hair looked like when it growed a little bit, she saw it she loved it and I was like alright, I guess I'll keep it. A lot of people Top Rank and ESPN loved it, Bob Arum said it looks good on me and makes me look more mature."
 
GL: Are you disappointed that you're not fighting Nakatani at Madison Square Garden, which has basically become your launching pad?
 
TL: "The Garden has been my go to and it kind of sucks, but it doesn't matter where we're at, as long as the money is right we'll go anywhere. As long as there's a ring and a referee who can count to ten, that's all I need."
 
GL: What do you think about the Lomachenko-Campbell fight?
 
TL: "I think it's a great fight and a great match-up. I think a lot of people are overlooking Luke Campbell. We're going to have to see because Loma is coming back again from another injury and Luke Campbell has been waiting for this opportunity for a very long time and now he's gotten it. I think he's going to be ready for this, I've been in the ring with Luke Campbell and I know that he's got all the skills to become a world champion and they're fighting in the UK. Lomachenko is going to go in there and do what he always does, let's see how Campbell handles it. He's a big guy, a strong guy and he's a southpaw with power, I don't think it's going to be easy at all for Lomachenko."
 
GL: Closing thoughts for the fans.
 
TL: "Tune in on July 19th. I want to thank everyone that's been supporting me and the Takevoer movement. If you haven't been on the Teofimo express hop on it because there's still more room for you, there's room enough for everybody. On July 19th don't miss my fight with Masayoshi Nakatani on the ESPN+ app."

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