A bout between Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney has fallen through at the final hurdle.
It was reported that a catchweight bout between WBO super-lightweight champion Lopez and two-weight world champion Haney had been pencilled in to take place on Saturday August 16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Both fighters returned to the ring on the same card last month at Times Square in New York City. Lopez successfully defended his WBO title against mandatory challenger Arnold Barboza Jr, whilst Haney got the better of former unified super-lightweight champion Jose Ramirez.
Haney had been in contention to face Ryan Garcia in a rematch at the end of the year, but these plans were quashed after Garcia was defeated by Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero in a shock upset.
In a social media post, Oscar De La Hoya spoke out and had his say on the situation surrounding the breakdown in negotiations between Lopez and Haney, claiming ‘The Takeover’ is ‘smart’ for not going through with it.
“Devin Haney is calling Teo a duck??? More like Teo is SMART to not fight a runner who has less fans than Diddy does.”
Lopez is yet to comment on his scheduled bout with Haney falling through, and it remains to be seen what the 27-year-old’s next steps will be in light of this disappointing scenario.
Haney may be kept on the August 16 date in Saudi Arabia, with news expected soon.
