Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
Is boxing hurtling towards its demise?
JOHN WIGHT discusses how despite advances in medical protections and safeguards in boxing, ring fatalities remain far too high
Josh Taylor, the boxer Teofimo Lopez claims he is going to ‘kill’

NEW YORK’S Teofimo Lopez has decided to go where few fighters do in declaring that his intention when he steps into the ring on June 10 at Madison Square Garden is not to defeat but to “kill” Josh Taylor.

That he felt emboldened enough to declare this intention publicly is illustrative of how far top-flight boxing has descended into the gutter.

Yes, it could be argued, Lopez has come out with this trash talk to try and unsettle Taylor as fight night closes in — this on the understanding that Scotland’s former undisputed light welterweight world champion fights with his heart as much as his head.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Announcer Joe Humphries raises the hand of the victor, British boxer Jack 'Kid' Berg, aka
Men’s Boxing / 21 August 2026
21 August 2026

As antisemitism spread across Europe and the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, Benny Leonard and Jack ‘Kid’ Berg became symbols of hope and resilience, writes JOHN WIGHT

Katie Taylor poses for photos inside Croke Park, Dublin after a press conference. The 39-year-old will face Flora Pili at Croke Park in Dublin on September 5 for the vacant WBC super lightweight title in the final fight of her decorated career, June 5, 2026
Women’s Boxing / 28 July 2026
28 July 2026

More than 80,000 tickets sold within minutes as Irish icon prepares for farewell fight

Sport / 2 February 2026
2 February 2026