Teofimo Lopez retires from boxing at 25, just two days after becoming WBO light welterweight champ

Teofimo Lopez has announced his retirement from boxing at age 25.

Lopez became the WBO and The Ring light welterweight champion on Saturday with a dominant decision win over Josh Taylor. It was his third fight at light welterweight after he lost his lightweight titles to George Kambosos Jr. in a stunning upset.

Against Taylor, Lopez was the betting underdog but had arguably the best performance of his career as he was too technical for the Brit. When the final bell rang, it was Lopez getting his hand raised and after the win, many fans were excited about the potential matchups for him. He could rematch Kambosos Jr. or Ryan Garcia or Devin Haney could move up in weight and fight for his titles.

RELATED: Pros react after Teofimo Lopez scores upset win over Vasyl Lomachenko.

Yet, on Monday – just two days after he won the WBO title – Lopez went on This Just In on ESPN and shockingly announced his retirement from boxing.

.@TeofimoLopez tells @maxkellerman that he’s retiring from boxing at the age of 25. pic.twitter.com/C0qQYFNeqG

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) June 12, 2023

“I am going to be announcing my retirement to the sport of boxing,” Lopez said on This Just In. “Blood, sweat, and tears I’ve done for the sport. At a young age of 25 years young, I believe I am the first male to become a two-time undisputed world champion, in a four-belt era, very grateful for it.”

When asked if this retirement is for real, Lopez doubled down on it and said he wants to focus on businesses outside of boxing.

“Right now, I’m just thinking about, I have a lot of ideas. I have a lot of things in mind for the sport of boxing. I really can’t do that if I’m always in the gym training and preparing for another upcoming fight or bout. So I’m really just focusing on that task right now,” Lopez said.

The news does come as a surprise as Lopez became a major champion in another weight class again. There are also big fights and big paydays ahead of him, but at 25 he has decided to walk away from the sport.

Teofimo Lopez ends his career with a record of 19-1. In his career, he holds notable wins over Vasyl Lomachenko – to become the undisputed lightweight champ –  Sandor Martin, Richard Commey, and Edis Tatli among others.