Teofimo Lopez routs Steve Claggett to retain WBO title

Teofimo Lopez had little trouble against Steve Claggett.

Teofimo Lopez rather easily retained his WBO super lightweight title, winning a near-shutout decision over Steve Claggett tonight in Miami.

Teofimo (21-1, 13 KO) took the fight on scores of 119-109, 120-108, and 120-108.

Claggett (38-8-2, 26 KO) brought his usual pressure and effort, but just couldn’t get control of the fight, and Teofimo was able to land sharper, cleaner shots through the evening.

You wouldn’t really call it the most impressive performance from Lopez, but there was certainly no argument about the scoring or outcome.

“I knew exactly what kind of fighter this guy was, he was gonna come forward and test my conditioning,” Teofimo said. “He’s a tough fighter, I don’t think anyone should overlook him.”

Asked what was next, Lopez didn’t commit to anything in particular, but he mentioned the idea of once again moving up in weight.

“My body’s growing, and although it doesn’t look like I can handle my own at 147, I believe I can,” he said. “I want these great champions. Whoever it is, whatever it is. We don’t dodge nobody. I just want to fight the best.”

Former featherweight titleholder Robeisy Ramirez dominated in his return to the ring, knocking out Brandon Benitez late in the seventh round on a fantastic uppercut.

Ramirez (14-2, 9 KO) had no issues in this matchup, which was expected, as Benitez (21-3, 9 KO) came in with a pretty empty record. Benitez did try, he was just totally outclassed by a superior fighter with legitimate top-level ability.

Ramirez’s manager has said they’re hoping to rematch Rafael Espinoza for the WBO featherweight title late in the year, and Robeisy told ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna he is still looking to become a unified champ at 126.

In the main card opener, Nico Ali Walsh got some revenge, beating Sona Akale in a rematch from last August. Walsh (10-1, 5 KO) won on scores of 57-56, 57-56, and 58-55, with a third round knockdown the ultimate difference on the cards. Akale falls to 9-2 (4 KO). Walsh appeared to suffer a separated shoulder in the sixth round, but gritted through it and finished the fight.

In his post-fight interview, Walsh said he “denied a multi-million dollar contract from (Most Valuable Promotions) to fight Jake Paul,” and was also booed pretty noticeably in general.

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