Undisputed lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez’s defence against mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr. now appears likely to take place in America as the New Yorker aims to retain his collection of belts in a vibrant 135lbs division. A clash with WBC title-holder Devin Haney remains next on Lopez’s agenda before an anticipated move to 140lbs.
The mandatory bout originally seemed destined for Kambosos’ homeland of Australia with a larger crowd possible, but the country’s stiff quarantine requirements during the Covid-19 Pandemic have finally eliminated that location.
With negotiations continuing ahead of the IBF mandated bout heading to purse bids on Saturday, Lopez-Kambosos is now set to take place in the US in either late April or May with the champion’s home city of New York mooted as a possible location, according to ESPN.com.
Beyond that, Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) aims to face fellow American Haney, who has wagered an online beef with the undisputed champion, before moving to 140lbs to face the winner of the Josh Taylor-Jose Ramirez unification clash, currently scheduled for May 8 in Las Vegas.
“The only thing that is holding it up is my mandatory. I have to pay my respect to that guy [Kambosos]. He fought his way up, the same way I had to fight my way up to be IBF lightweight world champion before I got to the point where I fought Vasiliy Lomachenko,” Lopez, who is recovering from foot surgery, told ESPN.com.
“I’ll deal with that process first, negotiate, see what happens and, if they agree with all the terms, that will have to be the guy. It’s not because it’s who I want but because it’s my mandatory. A lot of people say I’m ducking a lot of people, but I’m not. I got to go through the process – that’s just part of the game. If things go south, Devin Haney is the next guy and hopefully we can make that fight happen without him trying to overprice himself. I’m a true champion. I’m not letting go of any of my belts.”