Boxing expert Chris Algieri says Teofimo Lopez’s performance with his win over Jamaine Ortiz last Thursday was so unimpressive that it changes his career trajectory in terms of who he can call out.
With many boxing fans believing the Top Rank-promoted Teofimo (20-1, 13 KOs) was gifted a decision by the Nevada judges due to his popularity, he’s not in the position to call out guys like Terence Crawford or Devin Haney.
The judges gave Teofimo the victory by the scores 117-111, 115-113, and 115-113, but the boxing world saw him losing badly and looking beyond poor. Teofimo didn’t resemble a world champion, and Ortiz should have been given the win if the judges had got it right.
Algieri feels that there’s a possibility that Teofimo’s bad performance could still lead to him getting a big fight against someone like Haney, because he’ll see him beatable.
No Longer Top Tier
“You got to change your whole script now in terms of who you’re calling out. You’ve got to deal with the guys around you. You’ve got to fight mandatories now,” said boxing expert Algieri to ProBox TV, reacting to WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo’s controversial win over Ortiz last Thursday night.
“Part of this, people don’t respect Jamaine Ortiz. We do. He’s a very good fighter, and he fought a smart game plan. Great fighters figure out guys like Jamaine Ortiz out, and they do damage.
“They either get him out of there or assert dominance. That was not the case tonight. The fact that [Teofimo] Lopez not only struggled, but didn’t figure out the puzzle of Ortiz is indicative of where he’s going next.
Bad Performance, Unexpected Opportunity?
“So, you can’t look at Devin Haney now. You can’t call out Terence Crawford at all. You’re not in the same stratosphere. The good thing is, you might still get those fights because now you’ve shown something [vulnerability],” said Algieri.
Crawford won’t want to fight Teofimo now because he won’t get credit because Ortiz already beat and was robbed of a victory.
“You’ve shown an issue. Sometimes, bad performances work out in your favor, and you get good fights. What you do with that is a whole other thing.
“The guy [Jamaine Ortiz] wasn’t backing out. He was moving laterally, he was firing, he was changing angles, and also his defense was stellar on the inside,” said Algieri.
