IBF World Lightweight Champion Richard Commey says he is preparing feverishly to do the talking in the ring on December 14 when he defends his strap versus undefeated hard-hitter Teofimo Lopez.
Ghana’s Commey, 32, 29-2 (26 KOs), is excited to fight at the famous Madison Square Garden in New York, known as the “Mecca of Boxing” and expects to deliver a spectacular performance against his tough-talking opponent.
“I’m very excited to fight at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden, in my second world title defense against Teofimo Lopez,” Commey said in an interview.
“My lifelong dream of becoming a world champion became a reality through many years of hard work in my homeland of Ghana, through the UK, Europe and finally in the United States. I want to thank everyone on my team for making this possible.
Commey first won the title last February, stopping Russia’s Isa Chaniev in two one-sided rounds. In his first title defense, last June, he stopped former world champion Ray Beltran in eight.
But Honduran-American Lopez represents an entirely different challenge. The Brooklyn, New York native is a skilled, hard-punching boxer with speed, brimming with confidence. Lopez has sworn he’s got a new bag of tricks to unveil versus Commey and says he’s excited and rejuvenated to be back in the ring.
However, Commey has offered little in the way of trash talk. He’s been hard at work in camp with trainer Andre Rozier and co-trainer Gary Stark Sr., hoping to successfully defend his crown. The winner of this bout is in line to face WBA, WBC, WBO World Lightweight Champion Vasyl Lomachenko, who is considered one of the three best fighters in the world, pound for pound.
Lomachenko has already stated that he believes Commey will stop Lopez.
“On December 14, I will put on another spectacular performance in defending my world title for my fans in the arena and those watching on ESPN and around the world,” Commey remarked.
