WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) fought a safety-first fight, defeating challenger Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-1, 11 KOs) by a 12-round unanimous decision in a defensive battle on Saturday night at Times Square in New York.
Barboza Jr. chased Teofimo around the ring in every round, trying to land, but unable to do so much of the time due to the movement. It was the goal for Teo to avoid getting hit, and he did an excellent job of that. However, the downside, he wasn’t landing any punches of his own. That rounds very hard to score.
The scores
116-112 116-112 118-110
That last score didn’t reflect the reality of the fight. It was a lot closer contest than the judges scorecards, as Teofimo was most focused entirely on not getting hit. He threw almost nothing.
May 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA: Teofimo Lopez versus Arnold Barboza Jr. during their fight on The Ring Magazine‘s Fatal Fury Times Square boxing card on May 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom.)May 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA: Teofimo Lopez versus Arnold Barboza Jr. during their fight on The Ring Magazine‘s Fatal Fury Times Square boxing card on May 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom.)May 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA: Teofimo Lopez versus Arnold Barboza Jr. during their fight on The Ring Magazine‘s Fatal Fury Times Square boxing card on May 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom.)May 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA: Teofimo Lopez versus Arnold Barboza Jr. during their fight on The Ring Magazine‘s Fatal Fury Times Square boxing card on May 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom.)May 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA: Teofimo Lopez versus Arnold Barboza Jr. during their fight on The Ring Magazine‘s Fatal Fury Times Square boxing card on May 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom.)May 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA: Teofimo Lopez versus Arnold Barboza Jr. during their fight on The Ring Magazine‘s Fatal Fury Times Square boxing card on May 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom.)May 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA: Teofimo Lopez versus Arnold Barboza Jr. during their fight on The Ring Magazine‘s Fatal Fury Times Square boxing card on May 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom.)May 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA: Teofimo Lopez versus Arnold Barboza Jr. during their fight on The Ring Magazine‘s Fatal Fury Times Square boxing card on May 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom.)May 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA: Teofimo Lopez versus Arnold Barboza Jr. during their fight on The Ring Magazine‘s Fatal Fury Times Square boxing card on May 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom.)May 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA: Teofimo Lopez versus Arnold Barboza Jr. during their fight on The Ring Magazine‘s Fatal Fury Times Square boxing card on May 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom.)
