news-engine

Teofimo Lopez walked into the Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn final press conference wearing a cap, sunglasses and a long fake beard before posing as a reporter and revealing himself from the floor. The WBA welterweight champion used the alias “Jack Hoffman” while directing a question at Benn in Las Vegas on Thursday. Lopez enters the scene three weeks after beating Rolly Romero by majority decision to win the WBA belt. Garcia and Benn are due to meet for Garcia’s WBC welterweight title Saturday, September 12, at T-Mobile Arena. Fight Hub TV recorded Lopez before and during the stunt. The complete three-minute source video is below: Lopez Called Garcia-Benn A 50-50 Fight Before Taking The Reporter Seat Before entering the press room, Lopez declined to choose between Garcia and Benn. He did choose himself when asked about a possible fight with Garcia, answering, “Me, always.” His full assessment of Saturday’s matchup was: We shall see. We shall see. I mean, it's any man's game right now. It's any man's fight. It's a 50-50. Lopez said the disguise was his own attempt to turn the media appearance into something unexpected. I thought about it. Let me be DAZN's correspondent. You'll see me the rest of this week. But yeah, just got to think outside the box, you know. Asked whether the beard was intended as a shot at Benn, Lopez rejected that explanation. No, no, no, not at all. Just having fun with it. The joke arrived after Garcia skipped an earlier fight-week faceoff. Lopez viewed Friday’s official scale as a more serious obstacle than the news-conference exchanges. I mean, I think first things first is the fight for them is going to be the weigh-ins, right? When asked whether he expected either boxer to struggle on the scale, Lopez added: I think both of them probably do. It's never easy. The Fake Reporter Question Put Benn’s Beard Transplant At The Center Of The Reveal Lopez kept his sunglasses and beard in place as he stood with a microphone and introduced himself to Dana White. He then aimed his question at Benn. Hi, Dana. I'm here representing DAZN. My name is Jack Hoffman. I have a question for both fighters. One in particular. Conor, you've had a beard transplant in the past. What do you think of mine? Benn answered without recognizing Lopez immediately. I think it's pretty solid. From what I can see, it's impressive. The disguise came apart after Lopez was asked whether he supported Garcia. He used the response to announce himself. I have to be Team Teofimo first, though. Garcia reacted from the stage before Lopez removed enough of the disguise for the room to recognize him. Lopez and Garcia then exchanged a brief challenge while security and event staff remained between the floor and dais. The interruption did not change the fight schedule. Garcia has predicted that he will stop Benn inside five rounds, while Lopez now holds another welterweight belt that could make him a future target for Saturday’s winner.