Teófimo López Jr. solidified his place in boxing’s pantheon by becoming the youngest four-belt champion in the history of the sport.
The 23-year-old from Brooklyn defeated Vasyl Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-weight champion from Ukraine, by unanimous decision Saturday night in Las Vegas. He now holds four world lightweight titles.
“I think the first half of the fight he got more rounds than I did, but in the second half of the fight I took over,” López told Steve Kim of ESPN after the fight. “I was much better.”
The fight went 12 tough rounds at the MGM Grand Conference Center, but in the end it was López who prevailed.
Mike Tyson even took notice of the young boxer on Twitter praising López as the “man to beat.”
“I’m a fighter,” López said.
“I’ll take one to give one. That’s what a true champion does. I find a way to win.”
