Teofimo Lopez Sr. was incredulous when the scorecards were initially read. Having promised boxing fans around the world that his son, Teofimo Lopez, would make quick work of George Kambosos Jr. during their showdown in November of 2021, the loquacious trainer and father was taken aback when Kambosos was given the nod.

Still, in spite of their humbling experience, team Lopez has done their best to distance themselves from that unexpected defeat. Having competed at 135-pounds for approximately half a decade, Lopez (17-1, 12 KOs) believed that a change of scenery was well needed. So far so good, as Lopez made it look incredibly easy against fringe contender Pedro Campa earlier this year.

With Lopez adjusting well to life against larger men, the former unified lightweight champion will attempt to solidify his name as a true top contender when he takes on Sandor Martin on December 10th, in New York’s Madison Square Garden. While Lopez Sr. is encouraging his son to remain focused on the task at hand, he can't help but salivate over a possible matchup against current WBO titlist, Josh Taylor.

“We definitely want that Josh Taylor fight right after [the fight Martin fight],” said Lopez Sr. during an interview with AB Boxing News. “We’re not overlooking [Martin], we gotta get through him first.”

Taylor, despite relinquishing the majority of his world title belts, is widely considered by many as the division’s top dog. However, following his highly controversial victory over Jack Catterall, the 31-year-old Brit has left no stone unturned in his attempt to lure his foe back into the ring.

After months of back-and-forth negotiations that were littered with mandatory title defenses, Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) voluntarily vacated most of his world titles, leaving him with just the WBO crown.

In all likelihood, the two will officially share the ring against one another once more in the first quarter of 2023. Although their initial bout ended in controversy, Lopez Sr. has a hunch that Taylor will up his game in their immediate rematch, resulting in a clearer victory.  

In any event, while Taylor is of the belief that dropping his titles was necessary, Lopez Sr. was hopeful that his son would eventually face Taylor for all of the 140-pound marbles, not just the WBO trinket. Nevertheless, although the road to aggregating every world title is a more complicated one, Lopez Sr. not only believes that his son will be successful in his quest, but he’ll do so rather transiently.

“We're coming out here to become undisputed back-to-back. So who the hell we gotta get through to get that, we're going to make it happen. I predict my son will be a two-time undisputed champion before the year 2024. If not, 2024. He’ll be a two-time undisputed champion.”