WBO super-lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez has been linked to a surprising fight in recent weeks in what would be a second defence of his belt, since moving up and defeating the poster boy of the division, Josh Taylor, last June.
‘The Takeover’ returned to the ring in February, where he controversially claimed a unanimous-decision win over Jamaine Ortiz, although many viewers felt as though the challenger had done enough to pull off the shock upset.
Since then, Lopez has been linked to unification bouts against fellow champions Devin Haney and Subriel Matias, but both remain tied up in fights of their own as of now.
Instead, reports emerged that Lopez would take on Canada’s Steve Claggett (38-7-2), who is ranked 13th with the WBO and has strung together a run of nine consecutive victories since 2021, five of those wins coming within the last 13 months.
The reaction that news was underwhelming, with fans hoping that an arguable top ten pound-for-pounder would be fighting a more recognisable name in one of the sports’ hottest divisions, especially when considering that Arnold Barboza Jr. (29-0), Jose Ramirez (28-1) and Richardson Hitchins are ranked first, second and third with the WBO respectively.
On social media, Teofimo Lopez insinuated that either the initial reports of the Claggett fight were false or that he had pulled the plug on the proposed bout due to a lack of interest.
“No fight lined up. Still preparing for anything & anyone.”
The two main candidates to face Lopez next will appear on the same card next Saturday as the perceived top dog in the division and WBC champion Devin Haney fights Ryan Garcia.
Meanwhile, Lopez’s WBO mandatory challenger, Barboza Jr. fights Sean McComb, in the highlight of the Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia undercard.