Teofimo Lopez is the newly crowned WBA welterweight champion but is already being called out by a British fighter hungry for his shot.
Lopez beat Rolando Romero by majority decision on Saturday in Las Vegas to pick up his first belt after losing his WBO light welterweight championship.
He lost that strap to Shakur Stevenson in January of this year but has previously beaten the likes of Josh Taylor to become champion in 2024, and back in 2020 he got the best win of his career when he beat Vasily Lomachenko to become unified champion at 135lbs, adding the WBA and WBO belts to his IBF lightweight title.
In a new post on X, British fighter Jack Catterall did not hold back in his calls for his shot at Lopez and also called out the governing body.
“180 days @WBABoxing which means November ✅ I understand the politics of boxing better than most. Rolly had a voluntary now it’s time for my shot ! No ducks no more swerving. Me v teo next.”
Catterall is now 33 years of age and has had something of a stop-start career. The Chorley-born welterweight put on the best display of his career in his first fight with Josh Taylor, an undisputed contest in 2022, but was not rewarded with the decision many think he deserved, and instead got handed his first loss.
The pair rematched two years later and this time ‘El Gato’ did enough to secure victory on the cards, although there were no belts on the line.
Since then he has beaten Regis Prograis, Harlem Eubank, Ekow Essuman and, in May, Shakhram Giyasov to win the vacant WBA Regular title, which means he is now first in line for the shot at Lopez, who would be another tough challenge, having lost just twice in his 25-fight career.
