Teofimo Lopez is back, and he’s bringing the fireworks to Times Square! After nearly a year away from the ring, the WBO super lightweight champ is stepping back under the bright lights to face ‘Interim’ titleholder Arnold Barboza Jr. And he’s not coming alone—Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney will also be in the mix, making this a must-see showdown in the heart of New York City.

But with almost two months to go before his May 2 showdown, Teofimo Lopez is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Takeover attempted to recreate an iconic ‘Rocky’ moment—but instead of inspiring fans, he became the internet’s latest punchline. Fresh off the launch press conference for his highly anticipated bout, part of the Fatal Fury card in New York, Lopez is finding out the hard way that even his home state isn’t cutting him any slack.

What did Teofimo Lopez do? 

Teofimo Lopez took to X earlier today with a video that had fans doing a collective facepalm. The 27-year-old boxer was seen sprinting up the steps at Father Duffy Square, Manhattan—right in the heart of Times Square—while repeatedly screaming, “Adrian!” at the top of his lungs. The whole scene was a nod to Sylvester Stallone’s legendary Rocky training montage, where the ‘Italian Stallion’ conquers the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Lopez even doubled down with the caption, “ADRIAN!! We’re Taking Over Times Square.” Now, in Rocky, Balboa was the underdog going up against Apollo Creed—the undisputed A-Side. But in Lopez’s upcoming fight, he’s the A-Side. So the metaphor is a little wobbly, but hey, it’s the effort that counts. Right?

Wrong. Fans weren’t debating the Rocky connection—they were too busy cringing. The reaction? A mix of secondhand embarrassment and the overwhelming urge to look away. Maybe Lopez was just having fun, or maybe the Times Square crowd wasn’t ready for this level of theatrical energy.

Get the EssentiallySports Daily Newsletter. Stay ahead of the game with daily updates, exclusive stories, expert takes, and the biggest moments from the world's most popular sports.

Either way, the internet had thoughts, and most of them were not kind. But the question remains: Why did fans start hating on him?

Teofimo Lopez goes unrecognized

Lopez’s antics have made him a polarizing figure in the boxing world—that everyone knows, but his recent borderline racist statements against Gervonta Davis and Terence Crawford have just helped degrade his image among the fans. So, when this user came across the clip, it didn’t take them long to brand ‘The Takeover’ cringy. “Lol no one knows who the f**k this cringy mf is 🤣🤡,” the user wrote. However, to be fair, boxing isn’t as popular as it once was. Forget about remembering one boxer.

The next user felt Lopez’s actions were embarrassing. “Not a single person knew who the f*** you were. Embarrassing,” the user commented. Maybe Lopez should hire a better PR team to spread the word about himself.

Someone else had similar things to say but didn’t have the patience to use more than two words. “Nobody noticed,” the user wrote. It’s unclear whether he was doing it for attention—while he didn’t turn heads in Manhattan, he certainly did online.

Meanwhile, this user seems to have been amused by the clip. “Everything this dude does makes me laugh and idk why😹😹 gotta love it,” the user wrote. Well, Lopez is an entertainer at the end of the day.

Another user claimed Lopez never should have shared the clip. “Teofimo Lopez should have left this in the drafts…. looks like nobody in New York knows who he is,” the user commented. This mainly seems to have become a big deal because Lopez is from New York.

That being said, Teofimo Lopez may want to work on his popularity in his own state. He might just do it if he can produce a banger next month. What did you think about the clip?