Unified lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko has warned IBF ruler Teofimo Lopez to back up his talking when the pair unify their titles on October 17 in Las Vegas.
Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) branded Lomachenko a ‘diva’ upon the announcement of their October clash, and vowed to beat up the Ukrainian star in emphatic fashion.
Lomachenko has doubted whether Lopez can back up his words in the ring, but challenged the unbeaten star to prove himself when they collide.
“I think he must be [ready for this fight] because he talked too much,” Lomachenko told BBC Sport. “He is a good fighter, a big puncher with speed and power. I know just one thing, if you say something you need to prove it in the ring, that’s it. We will see what he has to say after the fight.
“I don’t like to lose. This is my motivation. In my blood is only winning. You know what I feel. When you stay in the top you have a very big competition.
“Everybody is after you and it’s good for the sport. Then you fight other top fighters, it’s good for boxing history. In this fight, he is a world champion, he’s young and we will unify all the titles. I think it’s a fight that will go down in history.”
