Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez looks to add another title to his collection. He will be fighting for the first time since winning the WBO International Super Lightweight championship from Sandor Martin on December 10th.
Having not fought since February 2022, Scotland’s Josh “The Tartan Tornado” Taylor is putting his WBO World Super Lightweight Championship on the line. Promising to expose the weaknesses in Lopez’s game in a “high-level chess match, or firecracker” fight.
The trash talk has ramped up with Lopez stating, “I said it like it is, I want to kill Josh Taylor. That’s boxing. This is what we sign up for”, speaking to the brutal and harsh realities that accompany every fighter’s ring walk, every time. We’ll break down Saturday night’s increasingly heated main event in our Lopez vs Taylor betting analysis and prediction.
Teofimo Lopez vs. Josh Taylor Information
Teofimo Lopez vs Josh Taylor
Location of the fight: The Theater, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY.
Date & Time: Saturday, June 10. 8:00 PM ET.
How to watch: ESPN+ | Sky Sports
Recent Results
Before analyzing Saturday’s fight in our Lopez vs Taylor betting preview, we’ll review their recent boxing matches that have led to Saturday’s fight at MSG.
Teofimo Lopez has bounced back after dropping a split decision to George Jambosos Jr. on November 27, 2021. By defeating Pedro Campa via seventh-round TKO and, most recently, Sandor Martin via split decision.
As mentioned, Taylor hasn’t fought since February 2022, in a fight where he overcame two cuts to his left eye. He finish being dropped in the eighth round, and having a point deducted for punching after the bell, edging Jack Catterall in a split decision. The win over Catterall was his sixth straight over undefeated competition.
Both fighters have a 68.42% knockout rate.
Lopez vs. Taylor Betting Analysis
Teofimo Lopez
Lopez, a 2016 Olympian and the second-ranked super lightweight is familiar with the underdog role, especially in his shocking unanimous decision victory over then-number-one ranked pound-for-pound fighter Vasyl Lomanchenko in 2020.
However, Lopez is the smaller, orthodox fighter who needs to use his speed to stay out of the line of Taylor’s left hand: a significant factor in who wins this fight.
Josh Taylor
Taylor’s long layoff should help with any scar tissue from the two cuts received in his last fight against Catterall. Southpaw Taylor has only touched the canvas once in his career.
In a southpaw versus orthodox battle, it’s all about foot position. Getting off-line from the straight punches, and winning the exchanges of straights. Taylor’s left hook has taken out the likes of Warren Joubert and Viktor Postol and stopped Apinun Khongshong with a vicious left hook to the liver.
Teofimo Lopez vs. Josh Taylor Betting Preview
Before we make our Lopez vs Taylor betting picks, we need to review the boxing odds heading into this weekend.
Moneyline: Taylor is the betting favorite on most sportsbooks. He is listed between -160 and -210, while Lopez is listed from +130 to +160. However, there is movement on the lines, with Lopez’s odds going up and Taylor’s odds dropping as money rolls in.
Over/Under: The over/under line we’ve found for the fight is listed at 10.5 rounds. The over is listed at -220, while the under is listed at +180.
Other Bets: The fight going the distance is listed between -146 and -175. While the fight ending by any other means is listed between +116 and +140.
Neither fighter has great odds to win by stoppage: Taylor is listed at +240, while Lopez is listed at +500.
Teofimo Lopez vs. Josh Taylor Betting Prediction
Pick 1: Our first Lopez vs Taylor betting pick is to take Josh Taylor to win the fight.
Pick 2: Our secondary boxing predictions include this fight will go the distance.