Teofimo Lopez could be set to face a former undisputed champion in the coming months.
The 27-year-old from Brooklyn made the most recent defence of his WBO super-lightweight title against Arnold Barboza Jr on May 2, getting the nod across all three of the judges’ scorecards at the iconic Times Square in New York City.
Lopez has remained unbeaten since suffering the first defeat of his professional career against George Kambosos Jr back in 2021, defeating the likes of Josh Taylor, Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz during this period.
As he gears up for his next chapter, ‘The Takeover’ could be in line to lock horns with former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney, who made his long-awaited return to the ring on the same card as Lopez on May 2, defeating Jose Ramirez in a wide points decision.
As revealed by Dan Rafael on social media, Lopez and Haney looked set to face each other in a 145lb catchweight bout in Riyadh on August 16, although the fight could now be in jeopardy after ‘The Takeover’ sent a number of posts out on social media that he said later had him ‘fired’ by Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh.
“Per three sources involved, Teofimo Lopez-Devin Haney was agreed to Tuesday night, but not signed, for Aug. 16 in Riyadh at 145 pounds but fight is now in jeopardy after Teofimo’s tweet storm.”
Before facing Ramirez, Haney hadn’t fought since he was beaten by Ryan Garcia in April of last year, but the result was eventually overturned after it was revealed that Garcia had tested positive for a banned substance in tests taken prior to their non-title bout in New York.
A rematch between Haney and Garcia had reportedly been set to take place before the end of the year, but these plans appear to have been squandered after ‘King Ryan’ was beaten by Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero in a shock upset.
