Teofimo Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) defeated Sandor Martin (40-3, 13 KOs) It turned out not to be bad, but not good either. It’s not shiny, but it’s not boring either. Something like this should be done against an opponent of Martin’s level and skills, but the American could certainly do better.

Teofimo won thanks to activity. The fight is very close.

The fight against Sandor Martin in general and it shouldn’t be easy for Teofimo Lopez. Still, the man is not a Spaniard on the street. He is a good boxer, smart and technical. He ended Mikey Garcia’s career in 2021 and hasn’t aged much or gotten worse since.

But expectations of more are still being pursued. Apparently, because of the promises of the Lopez team and their confidence in a better outcome than just a win. Overall, during the ten-round fight, there weren’t many rounds where you had to think about more than the referees’ decision.

The first is among them. Martin was clearly not ready for Teofimo to move forward so sharply. From the first seconds, Lopez jumped on an opponent and began to hit. The first thought is that it won’t be as simple as with Mikey. True, then it simply did not exist. Pretty methodical.

In the first round, Lopez threw from all sides, broke his nose and cut off his opponent. A very strong start. Teofimo returned to the second round as if he had already won and in vain. The fine print ended with an accurate counter hook – knock it down!

At first, it seemed that the American simply stumbled and fell, but on repeat, first a blow and then a fall is clearly visible. Yes, that blow might throw Lopez off balance more than seriously hitting him, but the referee has a countdown.

Over the next few rounds, Teofimo had to adapt seriously. Martin suddenly woke up, went to work, hit him right, and didn’t let him hit him. The situation didn’t look critical, but Lopez certainly lost a few laps before he found an approach.

And as soon as Teofimo started getting episodes and tours, it flew again. In the middle of the fight, the American again took a left counter. The referee did not see the knockdown, but judging by the repetitions, it was possible to recount.

Lopez continued to do his own thing. He went forward, put pressure on the opponent and hit a lot. I hit a little, but if it flies, then it’s hard. Martin hit it a little too, but for a different reason. Sandor had to deal with the pressure first, then try to attack. Still, it is very unreasonable to stand still and fight with this opponent.

Martin did great. During the entire fight, the opponent did not even come close, so he only pressed him against the ropes a few times. At such moments Sandor had real problems: Teofimo boxed both actively and accurately. But the Spaniard suddenly turned to riveting and did not allow success to develop further.

Overall, both worked averagely. The Spaniard is slightly above average, as he did not let himself get stuck in the corners and on the ropes and caught well with his front hand with almost no loss. But Lopez could have done better. His fight with Lomachenko is still the best of his career. It was both difficult and cumbersome.

Immediately, Lopez seemed very confident in the power of the blow. He tried to put pressure on an opponent and score a goal. Although Teofimo knows how to box.

The final score was laughable: 95-94 Martin and 96-93, 97-92 Lopez. The first can be seen – duel is equal. The second is also good. Lopez won by a small margin. But with the current knockout and overall equal table 97-92 is ridiculous.

What’s next?

Martin is sure he won. Teofimo and everyone around him proved it. In general, fighting with him is a risky intent, so when someone needs to be tested, the next best opponent will appear. By the way, you can box in Spain – there he has long been the number one boxer.

Lopez has two ways and both are difficult. The first is a fight for the WBC title against Regis Prograis. There is no need to rush about the uniqueness of the duel organization, but it is very likely. Because the fight against Martin was for contender status for the WBC belt.

He is a contender for the WBO belt due to the second place in the standings and the current belt of the World Boxing Organization International Champion. Not everything is certain there either, but it’s close. And also a strong champion – Josh Taylor.

Of course, there is also a third. Wait and box someone like Martin – he’s a good, experienced boxer in this category but doesn’t have a belt. However, this option should not be considered. If you take risks, then it’s for belts. Yes, and Lopez will fight for the absolute championship here.

It will be difficult both there and there. Prograis is a stapler. He has more than 80 percent of early victories and can put the boxer far and for a long time, as Martin captured today.

Taylor is a technician with great footwork. No worse than Martin. He’s also a multi-dimensional athlete who can fall into the Crawford and Spence category and don’t look like a baby out there.

To win either way, Teofimo must return to his ideal self, which is a variant of the fight against Lomachenko. Because his variant in the fight against Martin will not attract neither the first nor the second champion.

And not now, not at any other time.