- Teofimo Lopez and Sandor Martin, who fight Saturday, faced off this week.
- Lopez tried to spook Martin by screaming in his face, but the Spaniard responded in strange fashion.
Face-offs in boxing can often be short but weird, uncomfortable, and highly-stressful situations.
It gives combat athletes a first glance at how their opponent measures up and how they might react if one instigates unpleasant trash talk or other mind games.
The former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez tried to spook Saturday opponent Sandor Martin during this week's face-off as he screamed in the Spaniard's face.
Martin seemed, at best, only mildly perturbed before flipping the script on Lopez by leaning into his face and asking a question rarely heard at face-offs.
"Would you like a kiss?" Martin can be heard asking on video.
Lopez did not seem like he knew what to say or do.
His face, really, says it all.
If the goal of a face-off is to make your opponent break first, then boy, did Martin succeed as Lopez looked away within seconds of the question without even saying a word.
Watch the awkward exchange right here:
—Absolutely Not (@TheKidIrv24) December 6, 2022
Lopez and Martin headline Saturday's boxing show
The two fighters headline a Top Rank-promoted boxing show Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Victory for Lopez will elevate him further up the world rankings and boost his chances of fighting Josh Taylor in a USA vs. UK bout.
Elsewhere on the card, American heavyweight Jared Anderson will hope to bang Jerry Forrest out of the ring, while other elite prospects Keyshawn Davis and Xander Zayas compete in separate fights.
Tiger Johnson, another promising young star, fights Mike O'Han Jr.
We've seen kisses before at boxing face-offs
Sandor Martin at least asked Lopez if he wanted to kiss.
Earlier in veteran heavyweight boxer Dereck Chisora's career, he didn't even seek consent and forced himself on Carl Barker during a face-off, sparking a melee.
Re-live that incident right here:
Chisora defeated Baker by second-round knockout at a 2010 fight in London.