Tale of the Tape: Josh Taylor vs. Teofimo Lopez

We look at how Josh Taylor, the former undisputed junior welterweight champion of the world, stacks up against former lightweight titleholder Teofimo Lopez ahead of their upcoming fight Saturday in New York. Odds courtesy theScore Bet and Barstool Sportsbook.

Taylor returns to the ring for the first time since his controversial split-decision victory over Jack Catterall in February 2022. Since then, the Scottish boxer has vacated all but one of his titles, with his WBO strap up for grabs against Lopez, who's making his third appearance at 140 pounds.

There is already bad blood between the two competitors, with Taylor admitting he's fed up with Lopez's constant smack talk. Taylor recently walked off a set of an interview featuring the fighters because he said he was tired of hearing Lopez's voice.

"I only walked off because he was just - that was a little clip. He goes way off rail, talks about all sorts of different stuff, making quotes about Mike Tyson, and just talks shit," Taylor told BroBible. "He's just boring, and he's just talking for the sake of talking, so I just can't be arsed listening to him.

"I think the guy's a bit of a tool. He's a space cadet and a real asshole, so I just can't be bothered spending time with him. I make nothing of him. I just let him say what he wants and let him bash on."

Lopez should be a tough task for Taylor. He famously defeated Vasiliy Lomachenko at lightweight in 2020 to capture most of the division's gold before losing it all a year later to heavy underdog George Kambosos Jr.

Since that defeat, Lopez scored a seventh-round TKO victory over Pedro Campa and then struggled against Sandor Martin, eking out a split-decision win.

While Taylor isn't a fan of Lopez's personality, he did call his opponent "a very good fighter" when he's at his best, crediting the 25-year-old's explosiveness and power. Lopez has ended 13 of his 18 career wins by knockout.

Taylor, like Lopez, didn't look his best in his last bout. He wound up on the right side of the scorecards against Catterall despite getting knocked down in the eighth round and being outboxed for most of the match. Irish bookmaker Paddy Power even announced it would refund bettors who lost on Catterall because it believed Taylor didn't win the fight.

But Taylor has battled injuries since the Catterall bout and completely revamped his camp, leaving him without a ring appearance for a year and a half.

Critics are now questioning whether Taylor is the same fighter who stormed through the junior welterweight division to become undisputed champ with wins over Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez, among others.

Despite plenty of trash talk, Lopez called Taylor the man at 140 pounds during their final press conference Thursday. Lopez also admitted that "The Takeover" won't be properly represented at junior welterweight unless he beats the undefeated champion.

Both fighters are looking for a big win that can quiet the masses who continue to question their abilities. However, a loss could be devastating. Lopez will likely fall out of the division's top-10 rankings if he doesn't post a win. Taylor's chances of securing a rematch with No. 1-ranked Catterall - a fight that was postponed in March - could go down the drain if he loses.

Saturday should be an electric affair. The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden is in for a treat.