If Teofimo Lopez's second act is to be successful, the two-division champion must avoid being on the wrong side of another huge upset.

The Brooklyn-born Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs), who reigns as WBO junior welterweight champion, defends his 140-pound title against 27-year-old Jamaine Ortiz, of Worcester, Mass., in Las Vegas on Feb. 8, 2024.

Teofimo Lopez
(Photo : Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Teofimo Lopez celebrating his victory over Pedro Campa on Aug. 13, 2022, at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Well acquainted with how precipitously a fall can follow a rise in boxing, Lopez, 26, praised Ortiz's effort after losing to the great Vasyl Lomachenko on Oct. 29, 2022, at the Hulu Theater in New York City.

"I was impressed by Ortiz, really," Lopez told Fight Hub TV immediately after the bout.

"They must've studied my film of me facing Lomachenko for a while, so he did good until (the later rounds)," added Lopez, who defeated Lomachenko in October of 2020 by unanimous decision to unite the IBF, WBO, WBA and The Ring lightweight titles. "It's the later rounds that you really gotta focus on against Lomachenko.

"But I think, overall, Jamaine Ortiz is still seasoned enough to give everybody else a bigger and better fight as well."

For a younger Lopez - such as the version who lost the aforementioned lightweight titles by split decision to Australia's George Kambosos, Jr. two years ago - the upcoming fight versus Ortiz could've had the makings of a trap.

Jamaine Ortiz (left) connects with his left hand during his Oct. 2022 fight vs. Vasyl Lomachenko (right).
(Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)
Jamaine Ortiz (left) connects with his left hand during his Oct. 2022 fight vs. Vasyl Lomachenko (right).

Nevertheless, Ortiz, even against a wiser Lopez, enters their clash driven to win one of professional boxing's major titles for a first time - something Lopez achieved in December of 2019 with a second-round, technical knockout of then-defending IBF 135-pound champ Richard Commey in front of a hometown crowd at Madison Square Garden.


"I'm super excited. It's been a long time coming," Ortiz, who made his pro debut in 2016, recently told Spectrum News 1 about his title shot. "That's the goal since I turned professional.

"For me and my team, we're all excited that we got the opportunity for a world title, and our dreams are coming true," continued Ortiz, who remained undefeated over 17 fights prior to his loss to Lomachenko last year.

"You know, we're just a couple of weeks away from acquiring that goal."

Lopez and Ortiz face each other during a massive sports week in the state of Nevada. In addition to their fight in Las Vegas on Feb. 8, 2024, Super Bowl LVIII takes place in nearby Paradise's Allegiant Stadium three days later.