Lopez dominates Barboza in 1st fight of Times Square tripleheader

Teofimo Lopez defeated Arnold Barboza Jr. to retain the WBO junior welterweight title in the first of three blockbuster fights scheduled for Friday's event in Times Square in New York.

Lopez earned a lopsided unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 116-112, 116-112, and 118-110.

The 27-year-old New Yorker cruised to victory in his latest title defense, outboxing Barboza over the course of 12 rounds. Lopez outlanded the challenger 126-70 in total punches, 54-38 in jabs, and 72-32 in power shots. Barboza tagged Lopez with a hard right hand in the sixth but was unable to overcome Lopez's sharp punching throughout the fight.

Lopez is now riding a six-fight winning streak and has defended the WBO title four consecutive times. He remains unbeaten since a stunning loss to George Kambosos Jr. in 2021.

Barboza earned a title shot against Lopez by capturing the interim belt with a split decision win over Jack Catterall in February. The 33-year-old California native suffered his first career loss Friday, falling to 32-1 as a professional.