LAS VEGAS — Teofimo Lopez had a little help from his friends as he entered T-Mobile Arena to challenge close friend Rolly Romero for the WBA Welterweight World Championship on Saturday night.
Looking to bounce back from one of the few but most lopsided losses of his professional boxing career, “The Takeover” was led out of the arena tunnel by over a dozen amateur boxers. Among them were Orlando and Julian Zamora of Turlock.
The Zamora brothers each held up one their own national title belts as Lopez shadowboxed his way to the ring for the main event of the evening. They then had an up-close look as Lopez pulled out a 114-114, 115-113, 116-112 majority decision to become a three-division world champion.
Twenty-year-old Orlando, one of two National Golden Gloves champions and Team USA Elite High Performance Team members that were involved in the festivities, had the most screen time on the PBC Pay-Per-View and DAZN broadcast, giving a smirk to the camera as he held up his Golden Gloves belt. Meanwhile, Julian was one of the first to greet Lopez as he made his walk towards history, offering a fist bump of encouragement.
It was just the latest interaction between the two boxers. Orlando had caught the eye of the former undisputed lightweight and WBO light welterweight champion at the National Golden Glove tournament in May. After winning the 121-pound title, the Turlocker was interviewed by Lopez, who also offered advice to the young pugilist.
“I was telling him all that I wanted to accomplish in this sport and he told me whether my next step was the Olympics or becoming a professional, to chase that dream,” Orlando shared. “He said I have all the skills I need to make it to that top level, and that meant a lot. And for his team to reach out and ask if I wanted to be a part of that walkout meant everything to me.”
Orlando, who graduated from Turlock High School in 2024, is a seven-time national champion as an amateur, while 11-year-old Julian has already won five titles in his youth career. They each train between Palacio Truth Boxing in Turlock and Marquitos Boxing in Fresno and Winton.
“Me and my little brother, we both have the same dream,” Orlando said. “We both want to go pro, become world champions. For us to be able to experience that and be a part of boxing history, it’s amazing. Being in T-Mobile Arena, all the lights flashing and all the cameras on us, the noise from the crowd, you start imagining yourself in Teo’s shoes. You get a taste of what your future can look like, whether it’s soon or in a couple more years.”
As for Lopez, he outpointed Romero through four rounds before once again facing adversity in his boxing career. Still less than seven months after a unanimous decision defeat to Shakur Stevenson for the WBO and Ring Magazine super lightweight titles, Romero began letting his hands go in the fifth round. A flurry of combinations set up a left hook and a follow-up overhand right to open a significant cut over Lopez's right eye. Lopez was momentarily wobbled and nearly dropped to the canvas before coasting backwards with head movement to avoid further combinations from landing and survive the round.
“We had to push the fight,” Lopez said. “He hit me with a shot that woke me up. I told him he has to do better than that. I was just buzzed. I got right back to it. I stayed cool, calm and collected. We have the ring experience. That's what's helped me throughout my journey.”
The speedy Lopez kept Romero at bay for the remainder of the bout with a steady dose of jabs between the body and head. Lopez finished the fight out-striking Romero 124-73, which included a career-high 62 jabs, according to CompuBox and PBC.
"If you lost and you come back, then you never lost, because you're a winner,” said Lopez after improving to 23-2. “I'm a true example of what winning is. It's about not giving up.”
“To see how Teo has gone up three divisions, slowly conquering each one and seeing how he responds to setbacks not just in boxing but in life, he gives us the right example,” added Orlando. “If you fall down, you get back up. All it takes is one fight and you can be back at the top. He’s a superstar, and I appreciate the time he took to give me and my brother that opportunity.”
