Will Teofimo Lopez get back his Heisman night magic?

Teofimo Lopez was astatine the pinnacle of boxing aft beating Vasiliy Lomachenko successful 2020. A caller contract, celebrity, sponsors and fandom followed the undisputed lightweight champion. Just months aft his 23rd birthday, Lopez was poised to beryllium the adjacent superstar successful a athletics with a agelong past of them.

Lopez planned to propulsion past long-odds underdog George Kambosos, past pursuit Josh Taylor's undisputed title astatine 140 pounds. But earlier Lopez could get to that pursuit of Taylor, catastrophe struck.

Lopez's archetypal defence was postponed respective times, and erstwhile helium yet met Kambosos successful November 2021 successful New York, Lopez was woefully unprepared. Turmoil swirled successful his idiosyncratic life, and it carried implicit into the ring.

He was floored successful the opening circular of a brutal fight, and though helium rallied to people a 10th-round knockdown, helium mislaid his 4 titles via divided decision. He besides mislaid his spot arsenic 1 of boxing's elite fighters.

Now, Lopez is attempting to reclaim that presumption -- and much -- astatine a caller weight. Following a confidence-building seventh-round TKO triumph implicit Pedro Campa successful August, Lopez steps up to combat Sandor Martin connected Saturday astatine New York's Madison Square Garden (9 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+). The Spaniard is simply a morganatic 140-pound contender (following his upset triumph implicit Mikey Garcia past year), who should service arsenic a litmus trial for Lopez and amusement conscionable wherever he's astatine -- mentally and physically -- aft a tumultuous 2021.

"This is the top clip of my beingness close now," Lopez, 25, told ESPN connected Tuesday. "I deliberation everyone needs to know, I'm wherever I specifically truly request to beryllium close now. I conscionable can't hold to springiness everyone a great, tremendous amusement similar I ever do. I'm a performer."

Immediately pursuing the archetypal nonaccomplishment of his nonrecreational career, Lopez (17-1, 13 KOs) was rushed to the hospital. He was diagnosed with pneumomediastinum, ESPN's Mark Kriegel reported, describing the unwellness arsenic "a balloon-like intrusion of aerial successful his thoracic cavity, the apt effect of a tiny teardrop successful his esophagus that developed arsenic helium rehydrated aft the weigh-in."

"How helium breathed, I can't adjacent explain," 1 specializer who examined Lopez told Kriegel. "Like his cervix and thorax were successful a vise."

Lopez yet recovered and decided helium could nary longer enactment his assemblage done the process of cutting down to 135 pounds. But helium needed to bash much than repair his assemblage -- his caput was besides waging a war.

All fighters exude bravado, but fewer much than Lopez. A decision to a 10-1 underdog aft each the proclamations Lopez had made surely stung and chewed astatine his confidence. That it came successful his archetypal combat aft a career-defining triumph implicit Lomachenko indispensable person made it that overmuch worse.

Lopez didn't combat again until August, and erstwhile helium did return, it was against a brushed hostile selected to marque him look bully and reconstruct immoderate of that self-belief that had carried him to the top.

Lopez didn't stroke past Campa the mode galore expected him to do, but helium did people the stoppage successful his maiden voyage astatine 140 pounds. Four months later, he'll combat astatine 140 pounds for the 2nd time, and it comes against a acold amended opponent.

Martin isn't regarded arsenic elite, but his assurance indispensable beryllium astatine an all-time high. After all, the 29-year-old had ne'er fought extracurricular of Spain until helium was picked arsenic a unfortunate for erstwhile four-division champion Garcia successful October 2021.

In an upset connected the aforesaid standard arsenic Kambosos' triumph implicit Lopez, Martin scored a majority-decision triumph that sent Garcia into retirement. Garcia intelligibly wasn't astatine his best, but that doesn't matter. Martin took advantage, utilizing his crisp southpaw jab on with disciplined boxing from the outside.

Now, Martin (40-2, 13 KOs) has an adjacent bigger opportunity, 1 that didn't travel on until 5 weeks earlier the fight. Lopez was acceptable to combat erstwhile 130-pound titleholder Jose Pedraza, but erstwhile Pedraza fell ill, Martin received the call.

"It worked for our champion involvement due to the fact that this was the feline primitively who we wanted to look coming towards the extremity of the year," said Lopez, who fights retired of Las Vegas. "This is simply a bully trial physically and mentally. ... I cognize this feline is coming present to instrumentality everything that we've worked truthful hard for."

Before helium was a champion, Lopez skyrocketed to prominence with a drawstring of highlight-reel knockouts. Lopez didn't conscionable decorativeness his fights successful devastating fashion, helium did truthful with explosive velocity and punctuated the KOs with a celebratory creation portion his foe laic stretched retired connected the canvas.

One by one, they each fell. But it was connected Heisman nighttime successful 2018 that Lopez genuinely near his mark. Immediately pursuing ESPN's presumption of assemblage football's top honor, Lopez took halfway signifier astatine Hulu Theater wrong Madison Square Garden and unleashed a azygous close manus that face-planted Mason Menard into the mat.

Lopez performed a backflip, rapidly threw connected a Kyler Murray jersey to grant the Oklahoma backmost who had conscionable been awarded the Heisman, and past did the celebrated pose.

The pursuing twelvemonth connected Heisman night, Lopez won his archetypal satellite rubric astatine the Garden's large arena with a spectacular KO of Richard Commey, and this clip helium delivered the flip portion wearing the LSU jersey of Joe Burrow, who won the award.

Three years later, Lopez returns to that nighttime -- and venue -- looking to rediscover the magic that made him must-see TV.

"There are guys successful boxing you attraction astir and guys you simply don't springiness a s--- about," said Lou DiBella, the Hall of Famer who oversaw HBO's boxing programming from 1989 to 2000. "We don't person capable guys we attraction about, but he's an absorbing feline to follow. Vulnerability isn't a horrible thing.

"The information helium mislaid the combat to a feline we didn't deliberation would bushed him isn't a horrible thing. People similar comebacks. It's not similar helium doesn't person credentials. He legitimately bushed Lomachenko. ... I deliberation Teofimo factors into a batch of those fights: [Ryan] Garcia, [Gervonta] Davis, Devin [Haney]. ... He's inactive a kid and helium inactive has prima power. ... He needs to proceed to support it together."

Lopez promises to present an emphatic knockout of Martin. He told Martin arsenic overmuch arsenic they stood look to look 100 stories supra New York City connected Tuesday, saying arsenic they posed unneurotic astatine Edge astatine Hudson Yards, "Everything's going to beryllium OK, it won't wounded that bad."

But Lopez past reconsidered, saying, "Maybe it volition [hurt], it depends however I consciousness that night."

If Lopez genuinely feels astatine his champion and has enactment the nonaccomplishment to Kambosos down him, helium could present the benignant of show that volition punctual everyone what benignant of combatant helium tin be.

Already, Top Rank is eyeing a combat betwixt Lopez and lineal inferior welterweight champion Taylor, provided the Scot turns backmost Jack Catterall successful their outpouring rematch. There's besides Regis Prograis, who stopped Jose Zepeda past month to seizure the WBC title.

The victor of Lopez-Martin volition go the secondary mandatory challenger to the WBC loop aft Jose Ramirez receives his shot. But first, Lopez knows helium indispensable bash overmuch much than simply win.

"I request to beryllium heard successful this division," Lopez said. "The lone mode that you are capable to beryllium heard successful the part is by knocking these guys out. Mike Tyson is 1 of the GOATs due to the fact that of that. I'm conscionable pursuing the footsteps of these large champions that paved the mode for america fighters today.

"The full extremity is to absorption connected those satellite titles adjacent year. Me and Josh Taylor, we could combat anyplace successful the U.K.; I deliberation that it'll merchantability retired wherever we go. I'm conscionable looking guardant to truly making large fights hap for everyone astir the world."