The Hauser Report: Teofimo Lopez Shines at Madison Square Garden

The last boxing card of the year at Madison Square Garden had trouble gaining traction with ticket-buyers. Promoter Bob Arum conceded prior to the final pre-fight press conference that the main event between Terence Crawford and Egidijus Kavaliauskas was “a 10-to-1, 12-to-1 fight, so there’s not much interest in it.” But fans who made it to The Garden on December 14 (the announced attendance of 10,101 included some yeast) got their money’s worth. There was a competitive undercard (a pleasant change from the norm in boxing these days) coupled with several storylines of note. When the night was done, Teofimo Lopez had stolen the show.

First, some introductory notes.

Edgar Berlanga, a 22-year-old super-middleweight prospect, came into his fight against Cesar Nunez (16-1, 8 KOs, 1 KO by) with twelve first-round knockout victories in twelve bouts. On one level, that’s good. But Berlanga hasn’t experienced what it’s like to go back to his corner after the first round of a professional fight, have his trainer rinse out his mouthpiece, and get ready for more. He didn’t know what it was like to get off his stool and hear someone saying, “Round five . . . Round six . . . Round seven.”

Nunez had been knocked out in Germany four months ago by a gentleman named Vincent Feigenbutz. The assumption was that he would give Berlanga some rounds and then get knocked out. But Berlanga has heavy hands. He dropped Nunez early in round one, put a beating on him, dropped him again, and the fight was over . . . KO 1.

The first of three featured bouts of the evening matched 2016 Irish Olympian Michael Conlan (12-0, 7 KOs) against Vladimir Nikitin (3-0, 0 KOs), the man who defeated Conlon on a questionable decision in Rio de Janeiro.

Among the thoughts Conlan offered during fight week were:

*         “When I got to the pros, I was a little surprised by how much of a business it is. Everything is business.”

*         “At first, when there were negative comments about me on social media, it bothered me. It gets to you a little. Then I realized there was no reason to give attention to it. I don’t even read it anymore.”

*         “I’d love to be in a position someday where I can call the shots and demand longterm VADA testing for all of my fights.”

Insofar as the pro-ranks version of Conlan-Nikitin was concerned, Conlan maintained, “This is straight business for me. There’s no personal or emotional attachment to it. Vladimir, obviously he beat me in 2013 when I moved up to bantamweight. In 2016, he [just] got the decision. But he knows deep down he needs to prove something on Saturday night. I don’t believe he will.”

“I don’t have to prove anything to anyone,”Nikitin countered. “I won two bouts against him in the amateurs. This is just another big step in my professional career.”

When the moment of reckoning came, Nikitin was the more aggressive fighter. But it was ineffective aggression. Conlan outboxed him throughout the fight and went to the body often enough that it was a factor. On those occasions when Nikitin managed to work his way inside, Mick got off first or tied him up en route to a 100-90, 99-91, 98-92 triumph.

Conlan has flaws as a fighter, including a notable lack of power. But he’s a hard worker, articulate, and marketable with a solid Irish fan base. As long as he keeps doing what he’s doing, Top Rank will move him well.

The most intriguing fght of the night – and the one that fight fans most wanted to see – was Richard Commey (29-2, 26 KOs) vs. 22-year-old Teofimo Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs).

Commey, a 32-year-old Ghanaian now living in the Bronx, came up short against Robert Easter and Denis Shafikov in earlier outings but captured the vacant IBF 135-pound belt earlier this year with a victory over unheralded Isa Chaniev before defending it successfully against Raymundo Beltran.

Lopez (a 2-to-1 betting favorite) has been groomed by Top Rank and was being tested at a world-class level for the first time. The feeling going in was that, if he couldn’t hurt Commey early, things would get interesting. And if he did hurt Commey early – well, that would be interesting too.

Round one saw Commey throwing cautionary jabs. Lopez was the hunter. He wanted to make something happen. Forty seconds into the second stanza, he did. Both men threw right hands. Teofimo’s landed explosively. Commey plummeted to one knee, pitched forward, and rolled onto his back. He rose through an act of Herculean will and was being battered against the ropes when referee David Fields stopped the slaughter at the 1:13 mark. It was a statement win for Lopez.

Next came the main event.

WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs) unified the four major 140-pound belts in 2017 before moving north to claim the WBO welterweight title. For several years, he has been in the thick of boxing’s pound-for-pound conversation but says, “At the end of the day, it’s just opinion.”

Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs), a 31-year-old Lithuanian, was a typical mandatory challenger.

At a media sitdown just prior to the final pre-fight press conference, Crawford bridled when asked if he was frustrated by not getting fights against boxing’s other top welterweights because they’re signed with Premier Boxing Champions (which seems intent on freezing him out).

“I’m not frustrated by nothing,” Terence answered, “except I thought I’d get three fights this year and I only got two. I’m not focused on no other opponent besides the opponent that’s in front of me. My goal is to make sure I get the victory come this weekend, and that’s the only person I’m focused on now. Anyone else is talk. It goes in one ear and out the other.”

Crawford also had words for media and fans who disparage fighters who box rather than slug.

“All those people that criticize boxers for boxing never been in the ring before. They never had the pleasure of getting knocked upside the head for twelve rounds. It’s not fun. We do it because it’s our job. But boxers go in the ring as one person and leave a different person. You go home; you eat your popcorn; and you say, ‘Oh, that was a great fight.’ It was a great fight for you to watch, but you don’t think about the fighters that went through hell to entertain you.”

Crawford-Kavaliauskas was an entertaining fight.

Crawford did what Crawford does best. He took his time, figured out what he needed to know, and broke Kavaliauskas down. But he was a bit sloppier and less surgical than usual.

Terence fights like he knows what he wants to do, while his opponents fight like, “Let me see if I can do something.”

Midway through round three, Kavaliauskas did something. He nailed Crawford with a sharp right hand that likely would have dropped him to the ring mat had Terence not held on. Egidijus then fired a hook to the body that deposited Terence on the canvas, but referee Ricky Gonzalez ruled it a slip (which looked like the wrong call).

More than most boxers, Crawford appears to take it personally when someone punches him in the face. Thereafter, he and Kavaliauskas fired back and forth. But Terence had the faster hands, sharper punches, and more effective body attack. Late in round seven, he put Kavaliauskas down with a right behind the ear. From that point on, it was a question of when the end would come rather than what the end would be.

Early in round nine, Kavaliauskas visited the canvas for the second time courtesy of right uppercut. He rose and, seconds later, was felled by a right hook. End of fight.

Crawford has an arguable claim to the #1 slot in boxing’s pound-for-pound rankings. But at age 32, he has yet to fight an elite fighter, and it’s unlikely that he will anytime soon. Meanwhile, it appears as though Teofimo Lopez, at age 22, will have the opportunity to make his mark in a signature fight against Vasyl Lomachenko in April.

Lomachenko-Lopez could be an interesting fight. Very.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams for Top Rank

Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book — A Dangerous Journey: Another Year Inside Boxing — was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. On June 14, 2020, he will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

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