After hanging in the balance in recent weeks, it looks as if the lightweight unification clash between Ukrainian maestro Vasiliy Lomachenko and Honduran-American hotshot Teofimo Lopez will finally take place.
After weeks of arduous talks where Lopez refused to accept a reduced purse that was an economic reality due to the shadow of Covid-19 and the lack of a live gate, a breakthrough was finally made on Wednesday.
According to Steve Kim of ESPN.com, WBC Franchise, WBA Super and WBO champion Lomachenko will now meet IBF king Lopez on October 17 with the bout broadcast on ESPN in the US.
Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) had previously offered to give up a portion of his contracted purse to accommodate Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) who had knocked back Top Rank’s earlier offers.
“It’s not done [until] the contracts are signed, I’m not being an alarmist or so forth, but I made the deal with David [McWater, Lopez’s manager],” Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told Steve Kim. “We’ve got to paper the deal, which will be done [Thursday].”
Main image: Lopez, Arum and Lomachenko. Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.
