During fight week, self-appointed mental health experts suggested that Teofimo Lopez should be on a therapist’s couch rather than in a boxing ring. However, being in a boxing ring requires a certain level of craziness in the first place. Some fighters hide their craziness better than others, and some use it to fuel their motivation better. Lopez, who is honest, did not do a good job of hiding it before his fight against Josh Taylor in New York, but he used it to his advantage during the fight.
Divorced and struggling mentally, Lopez needed the pressure of fighting Taylor as a distraction and a relief. For some fighters, boxing is an unconventional form of therapy that serves a purpose beyond just money-making or violence. Many boxers get into the sport to escape their problems and find purpose. For Lopez, boxing and his outspoken father are entwined, and fighting in the ring allows him to release his pent-up emotions.
Teofimo Lopez (Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
Lopez’s victory over Taylor silenced critics who had picked Taylor to win. His performance reminded everyone he had previously beaten the great Vasiliy Lomachenko and that boxing serves a purpose beyond just financial gain. Lopez’s honesty during fight week and leading up to the fight may have made him seem “crazy” or “mentally unwell,” but in reality, everyone has flaws and fragilities. Lopez is a boxer, not a philosopher and a broken man in a sport that welcomes him. In the ring, he can hide himself from the world and feel normal for thirty-six minutes, which is therapy in itself.