Richard Commey vs Teofimo Lopez Odds & Picks

• Commey vs Lopez goes Saturday, December 14th, at 9:00 PM ET
• IBF lightweight champion Commey is a sizable underdog to retain his belt
• Will Lopez come up big in his first bid for a world title?

Richard Commey vs Teofimo Lopez will be contested for the IBF world lightweight championship this Saturday (Dec. 14, 9:00 PM ET) at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The event also features one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best defending gold when Terence Crawford battles Egidijus Kavaliauskas. But unlike the champion in the main event, the title holder in Commey vs Lopez enters as the underdog.

Commey vs Lopez Odds

Odds taken Dec. 10.

Commey is looking to secure the second successful defense of his championship. Lopez has won notable gold (WBC Continental Americas, NABF, and USBA) and now looks to ascend to the next level by capturing a world title belt.

In Commey’s last outing, he knocked out Ray Beltran in the eighth-round. Lopez’s last outing was an uninspired decision win over Masayoshi Nakatani, a fight many thought that Nakatani won (or at the very least was a draw).

Still though, the 22-year-old Lopez is ten years younger than Commey and sees himself having a defined speed advantage. Despite the last bout being lackluster, Lopez has carved out a body of work that is commendable.

It’s a great fight on paper and, although he’s the underdog, I’m going with Commey in this one.

Commey D

Lopez is treating this as an all-or-nothing situation and he sees a win shooting his stock up dramatically. Lopez is looking shredded and seems to be on point with the weight cut. He has also been sparring with the former IBF light-welterweight champion Ivan Baranchyk ahead of this bout.

The young pugilist’s days at lightweight are seemingly numbered considering his youth and the fact his frame will grow much bigger with age. Lopez wants to clean up in his next couple fights and get all the hardware before moving divisions eventually.

The undefeated Teofimo Lopez challenges Richard Commey for the IBF Lightweight World championship, inside the famous Madison Square Garden, this Saturday night. 🇺🇸🥊#CommeyLopez #Boxing pic.twitter.com/IrMwP3ZIPx

— Cerebral Vigilante (@Delisketo) December 8, 2019

A win here could very well jettison one of these competitors towards a mega-fight at 135 pounds. Names like Vasyl Lomachenko and Jose Ramirez could find themselves on the opposite end of the marquee with the winner of Commey vs Lopez.

Whoever wins this bout will hold the final piece of hardware that Lomachenko needs to unify the division. The 2020 calendar promises to create a pugilist with a ubiquitous command on the lightweight division and Commey vs Lopez is an important piece in the puzzle.

Commey vs Lopez Tale of the Tape

Commey suffered back-to-back defeats in 2016 but has since rebounded from the only two losses of his pro career. Much has been made of Lopez’s unbeaten record but I think the strength of schedule goes to Commey. His 90-percent KO rate is a notable statistic that I think informs the outcome of this fight.

Lopez has an impressive stoppage rate in his own right. He sits at a 79-percent KO rate and has a five-fight knockout streak on the go. As he returns to the World’s Most Famous Arena, Lopez aims to keep that KO streak alive. I see Commey securing the TKO victory inside of nine rounds this weekend.

Pick: Richard Commey (+185)