Teofimo Lopez knows exactly why he’s so disliked — and he doesn’t care

Teofimo Lopez abruptly came forward and sat up in his chair as if he were waiting for the questions. 

And out came his trademark smile, along with his typically brash persona.  

Why is he so disliked among his contemporaries?

Why do so many think he is problematic? 

“Because I’m great,” Lopez quickly told The Post. “And I did it faster than all the champions that you could think of and name. Plus, I have a clean image. Plus, no one controls me. Plus, there’s a lot of plusses here.

“People could write me off all they want, that only motivates me to show the children out there that, to hell what other people say about you, to hell if they say you’re crazy. You know what’s crazy? Not believing in yourself. Now that’s crazy.” 

But it was that criticism and animosity toward him that prompted Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs), the 26-year-old Brooklyn native and two-division champion, who currently owns the WBO super lightweight belt, to briefly retire. 

Following his last bout, a dominant unanimous decision victory over Josh Taylor in June at The Theater at Madison Square Garden that earned him his current title, Lopez declared his imminent retirement from boxing. 

Most knew that Lopez was clearly not seriously stepping away, but his sense of resentment toward much of the boxing community was telling. 

He of course didn’t stay retired long, and he now defends his WBO super lightweight title as a heavy favorite against Jamaine Ortiz (17-1-1) as the main event of Top Rank’s card on Feb. 8 (ESPN, 10:30 p.m. ET) at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas — right at the beginning of the city’s Super Bowl weekend.  

“Everyone wanted to put this title on me that I’m crazy and not right mentally,” Lopez said. “So I said you know what? The hell with it. I said I’ll retire and let you guys be with those other fighters that you claim are better than me and have done more than me. Let’s see what they do and what they bring to the table. 

“I wanted boxing to realize that I am what they need, whether they like me or not.” 

Lopez mentioned various names in reference to ones others think are better or more accomplished than he is. 

WBC super lightweight champion and former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney and WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, a three-division champion, were the first two.

Along with Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia and others, they make up an exclusive group of the biggest stars at lightweight and super lightweight, two divisions whose elite have emerged as some of the biggest draws in boxing. 

It’s a group that Lopez, who burst onto the season as one of the pound-for-pound best at an early age when he beat Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020 to become the unified lightweight champion, had somewhat gone missing from in recent times. 

After beating Lomachenko, at just 23 years old, Lopez subsequently lost to George Kambosos in his first defense to relinquish his WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight belts.

Lopez then began his comeback at super lightweight.

He knocked out Pedro Campa in his debut in the division before an uninspiring — and controversial — split decision win over Sandor Martin.       

The bout against Martin raised concerns that perhaps Lopez’s best was behind him, and that he’d not again reach the heights he previously did. 

But he looked like his old self, if not better, against Taylor, a well-respected former undisputed champion. 

It served as a stark reminder of what a force Lopez can be and what an exhilarating show he produces. 

“That was the best performance I ever had in my whole career, thus far” Lopez said. “And the reason I say thus far is because we don’t know what I’m gonna do next. And that’s the whole beauty of it. It’s the unknown.” 

Someone who is always cognizant of being an entertaining, not just a dominant fighter, Lopez now takes his show to a city famous for its entertainers. 

It’s fitting — an entertaining fighter performing in an entertaining city. 

But it’s also fitting — like an entertainer fighting for attention in Las Vegas, Lopez has to fight for his spot among a crowded field of stars at a similar age and weights. 

It’s a good thing he loves to stand out.  

“I’ve always been that person, I never was in a group,” Lopez said. “Starting with the amateurs, I’ve never been in a group. I’ve always been by myself. Right now, I’m by myself. And that’s how it is when we go in the ring.

“So why do I need a group to make me feel confident about myself?”