After getting knocked around like a rag doll in his fight against Shakur Stevenson, Teófimo López bizarrely apologized for slavery.
On Saturday (Jan. 31), López faced off against Stevenson and got destroyed for 12 rounds. Sporting a pair of swollen eyes, López spoke about his loss to reporters and made the awkward apology.
“To all my brothers and sisters, I love you guys, always salute to the power that be above, and thank you guys,” López said. “I never wanted to harm you guys, so my condolences to all you guys, and to the slavery and everything that’s ever happened.”
Stevenson’s post-match commentary was much different.
“I picked him apart and did what I was supposed to do,” Stevenson said. “This is the art of boxing—hit and don’t get hit and pick guys apart.”
With Stevenson’s win over López at Madison Square Garden, he has secured the WBO junior welterweight title and has become a four-division champion.
López has previously made insensitive and racist remarks about his fellow boxers.
Last year, López stirred up controversy when he told a boxing reporter he would fight “whichever monkey wants to get the banana” about other fighters.
López then said that he wasn’t being racist but was trying to goad other boxers into wanting to go against him.
“I’m not talking about everyone,” he said. “I’m not talking about people’s color. I’m really just trying to get at these guys so they can at least bark a little bit, so we can make a fight.”