IBF lightweight title holder Richard Commey will face tough, rising star Teofimo Lopez this Saturday, December 14, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in Brooklyn, New York.
The stakes are as high as it gets: the winner should face pound-for-pound ranked WBO and WBA strap holder Vasiliy Lomachenko in early 2020.
Richard Commey is 32 years old, with a record of 29-2, with 26 knockouts. He’s a hard hitter with a 90% knockout rate. His two losses came back to back in 2016, versus Robert Easter Jr. and Denis Shafikov. His most recent fight was a KO over a tough, but aging Ray Beltran.
Teofimo Lopez has burst onto the boxing scene and made a huge impression, specifically over the last two years. Lopez is 14-0 with 11 knockouts and for the most part has looked totally dominant against his opposition. His last fight versus then unbeaten Masayoshi Nakatani presented a bit of a challenge for him as he was tall and long and made it a 12-round fight, something Teofimo hasn’t done too many times since becoming a pro.
Many spectators say that Teofimo was “exposed” during that fight. But Teofimo learned an important lesson that night: you can’t knock everybody out. And when you can’t, you still have to find a way to win rounds and emerge victorious.
This weekend will be another test. Comey and Lopez promises to be an exciting fight. Commey is a heavy hitter and we have yet to see Lopez’ chin get tested. Commey has experience and Lopez has youthful energy. Commey comes straight forward with huge punches, but is susceptible to counterpunching, which Lopez does well.
Richard Commey vs Teofimo Lopez can be watched on ESPN at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 6:00 p.m. Pacific.
Watch video of them getting into during press conference.