Teofimo Lopez gave up the WBO 140-pound title after his win over Josh Taylor on June 10, but he still holds The Ring Title. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
The Ring Magazine junior welterweight champion is set to defend his belt.
Teofimo Lopez will defend his Ring Championship and WBO belt against Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday, February 8th at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
López-Ortiz will headline an action-packed television doubleheader to kick off the big game weekend.
In a 10-round lightweight bout, U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis will take on former two-division world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza of Puerto Rico.
The Lopez vs. Ortiz and Davis vs. Pedraza matches will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT. This card is promoted by Top Rank in partnership with Takeover Promotions and CES Boxing.
“The Takeover on February 8th at Mandalay Bay will entertain inside the squared circle like only I can!” said Lopez. “To all the boxing fans around the world, I aim to not only dominate and destroy Jermaine Ortiz, but to do it in such a way that my division will be on guard.”
Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) won the IBF lightweight world title in December 2019 by defeating Richard Commey by second-round knockout. The following October, he defeated pound-for-pound king Vasily Lomachenko to win the WBA and WBO belts. Thirteen months later, he lost the belt to George Kambosos Jr. in a shocking split decision. The 26-year-old moved up to junior welterweight in August 2022 with a seventh-round TKO win over Pedro Campa and a split decision over Spanish southpaw Sander Martin. That December.
Lopez defeated former champion Josh Taylor in the latest martial arts fight to win the WBO and Ring Magazine titles.
“Jamaine is tough. I knew that because I had played against him in the National Golden Gloves Championship in 2015 as an amateur. The world knows that champions don’t flinch in the face of adversity. They rise up and shine brightest when the stakes are highest. This is for everyone on board the Takeover Express! Show the world once again what real boxing is like. Let me show you.”
Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs), a seventh-year professional, defeated Nahir Albright in February 2022 to win the NABF lightweight title. Ortiz then earned a decision win over former world champion Jamel Semper Fi. That May, Herring ended the year with an exceptional performance against Lomachenko. Ortiz dropped a close match to Roma with a unanimous decision, but countered with a lopsided scoring decision against Antonio Moran in September.
Ortiz said, “This is the most important fight of my career. It’s my first world title fight. I believe this fight will bring out the best in me, so I’m looking forward to coming back as the new champion.” I’m here!”
Davis (9-0, 6 KOs), a native of Norfolk, Virginia, has gone from prospect to contender and is inching closer to a world title shot. He won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics after going 3-0 as a professional. He signed a long-term promotional deal with Top Rank in November 2021 and has recorded six wins since then. He was active in 2023, stopping Anthony Yigit with a 9th round TKO in April and shutting out Francesco Patera with a 10th round decision in July. In October, he defeated Philadelphia-born contender Nahir Albright by majority decision, but was later ruled a no-contest by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation after testing positive for marijuana.
“I have all the respect in the world for Jose Pedraza and what he accomplished in the professional game,” Davis said. “This is the kind of step up I need to get to the next level, and I know Pedraza will bring his best fight. It’s his last chance to get back into title contention, but I won’t let that happen. We’re going to put on a show in front of our fans in Las Vegas and everyone watching on ESPN.”
Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs), of Sidra, Puerto Rico, won the IBF junior lightweight world title against Andrei Klimov in June 2015 and held titles against Edner Cherry and Stephen Smith. played defense. He won the WBO lightweight world title against Ray Beltran in August 2018. After losing his title to Lomachenko in a unification bout, he moved up to 140 pounds and faced the likes of Jose Zepeda, Jose Ramirez, Richard Commey, and Lindolfo Delgado. And Arnold Barboza Jr. Pedraza returns to the lightweight division with another shot at a world title.
Pedraza said: “Keyshawn Davis will get a taste of what it’s like to face a two-division world champion. He hasn’t played against anyone even close to his caliber. He wants to keep moving up the rankings, but he’s going to fall off the ladder on February 8th.”
The undercard, which will be streamed on ESPN+, will feature a variety of up-and-coming talent.
19-year-old lightweight phenom Emiliano Fernando Vargas (8-0, 7 KOs), son of former junior middleweight world champion Fernando Vargas, takes on Tomas Ornelas (7-3, 5 KOs) in a six-round battle. Participate in. . Vargas is 6-0 with five knockouts in his second year as a pro, coming off a two-round victory over Brandon Mendoza at T-Mobile Arena in November.
Lightweight phenom Abdullah Mason (11-0, 9 KOs) takes on Benjamin Grument (8-0-3, 5 KOs) in his first scheduled eight-round bout. Mason will look to build on his 5-0 2023 season, which came with a second-round TKO win over Jose Cardenas in November.
Undefeated middleweight Javier “Milwaukee Made” Martinez (9-0-1, 3 KOs) takes on Raul Salomon (12-2, 10 KOs) in eight rounds. Martinez dropped Isaiah Wise three times en route to a first-round knockout in November.
Former Team USA Amateur standout Charlie Sheehy (8-0, 5 KOs) will step up to the eight-round distance for the first time. Sheehy defeated Jesus Vazquez Jr. by unanimous decision in November.
Undefeated lightweight contender Alan “Kid Kansas” Garcia (10-0, 8 KOs), a power-punching dynamo from Ulysses, Kansas, will be in action in six rounds.
Former U.S. Amateur champion Art Barrera Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs) returns to the ring in a four-round junior welterweight bout.
This article uses a press release from Top Rank.
