Trainer Greg Hackett has expressed his disagreement with the decision victory awarded to WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez over Jamaine Ortiz during the ESPN broadcast show in Las Vegas last Thursday night. According to Hackett, he believed that the challenger Ortiz (17-2-1, 8 KOs) had won the fight with a score of 8-4, and he even went as far as saying that Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) looked foolish in the ring. Hackett criticized the 26-year-old champion’s performance, stating that it has been deteriorating since his win against Vasily Lomachenko in 2020, and called on Top Rank to address the situation.
Ortiz, the challenger, was the one dictating the pace of the fight, according to Hackett. Despite the judges awarding a controversial 12-round decision to Teofimo with scores of 117-111, 115-113, and 115-113, Hackett believed that Ortiz dominated the match, winning 11 out of the 12 rounds. Hackett expressed his disbelief at the 117-111 score given by one of the judges, considering it an astonishingly biased decision in favor of Teofimo.
Hackett praised Ortiz’s performance, stating that he refused to allow Teofimo to control the fight. Ortiz strategically boxed his opponent, making him miss numerous punches and countering effectively. Although Ortiz may not have landed any significant blows, he managed to gain Teofimo’s respect by consistently engaging him. Hackett emphasized that Ortiz controlled the fight’s tempo and executed his game plan flawlessly.
On the other hand, Hackett criticized Teofimo’s ineffectiveness and inability to adapt to Ortiz’s rhythm. Despite his efforts, Teofimo was unable to disrupt Ortiz’s flow, which remained consistent throughout the fight. Hackett firmly believed that Ortiz deserved the victory, as he outperformed Teofimo in every aspect of the match. He concluded by expressing his suspicion of corruption, citing the wide score of 117-111 in Teofimo’s favor as evidence.
According to the Source boxingnews24.com