Undisputed lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez is not short of marketable contenders in boxing’s most fascinating division.
Having upset pound-for-pound supremo Vasiliy Lomachenko last October, the New Yorker is currently leading a pack of unbeaten Americans featuring California phenom Ryan Garcia, Baltimore banger Gervonta Davis and Las Vegas’ skilful Devin Haney.
With social media force Garcia and the big punching Davis seemingly talking their way into a 2021 showdown, the true 135lbs kingpin says he has set his sights on rival WBC title holder Devin Haney.
In the WBC’s bewildering title picture, Lopez currently holds the ‘Franchise’ crown with Haney (25-0, 15 KOs) the organisation’s full champion so that bout would hopefully clear some unnecessary confusion. But Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) must first dispose of IBF No.1 contender George Kambosos Jr. in the opening quarter of 2021 before a fight with ‘The Dream’ can become a reality.
With his words as slick as his punches, Brooklyn’s charismatic Lopez believes Haney’s verbal and boxing skills need refreshing.
“He needs to step up his game and talking. It’s horrible, it’s bad, it’s really bad,” Lopez told Sky Sports News.
“They need to work on that. I think that with Devin, he has a lot of things where it has to be scripted. It just can’t come out. The same way we helped Loma out in the process, we’re going to help Devin Haney out in the process as well.
“We’re going to make the fight happen. I tried to save his career. I did. I kid you not. I tried to protect his career. I told him, ‘Hey three to five years, work your way up’. But now, he’s got out of hand and it got me going now, so we’re going to start pressing him on it.
“Me and my father, we’re on the same page. I believe Devin Haney will be next.”