WBA Super and IBF super-lightweight champion Josh Taylor has welcomed a fight with unified lightweight boss Teofimo Lopez.
Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) looks set to face rival WBC and WBO title-holder Jose Ramirez early next year with all four major sanctioning body 140lbs titles at stake.
Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) became the undisputed ruler of the 135lbs division when he added the WBA Super, WBC and WBO belts to his IBF strap by defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko by unanimous decision last weekend.
In the post-fight press conference, Lopez stated that he sees his future one division north of his current weight and called out the winner of Taylor and Ramirez.
Given that all three are promoted by Top Rank, the fight should ostensibly be straightforward to make. Taylor is certainly keen to accept the challenge.
“He can get it, no sweat,” Taylor told Boxing Social. “I don’t reckon he’s that special. He’s good, but [those] Americans love the hype.”
Prior to Saturday, Lomachenko was generally considered to be amongst the top three fighters pound-for-pound in the world today, having previously captured titles at feather and super-featherweight.
While Taylor didn’t expect the American to be victorious, he feels that Lopez’s size, opposed to his skill, was the deciding factor in the bout.
Taylor, who is big for the 140lbs limit, does not believe Lopez will have the same advantages if they are to meet.
“I was surprised at the result,” said Taylor. “Having said that, Lomachenko was stretching, size-wise. It was only a matter of time before he came across someone who is just too big. The major component was the size.”