Former WBC cruiserweight champion, Tony Bellew, has criticised Teofimo Lopez following recent comments from the former unified lightweight champion.
Lopez sensationally defeated Vasily Lomachenko in 2020 for the WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight titles, but lost them to George Kambosos a year later before moving up to the super-lightweight division.
‘The Takeover’ is now scheduled to take on former undisputed 140lb king, Josh Taylor, and told Punsh Drunk Boxing that this would be his last fight on ESPN, along with some hugely controversial comments.
“One thing I love about my sport, I can kill a guy and get away with it, so it’s cool.”
“This is my last fight on ESPN. If they want the black fighters, they can keep them.”
Upon seeing Lopez’s comments, Tony Bellew took to social media to question the mentality and awareness of the 25-year-old, pondering why a boxer would let themselves be interviewed by a channel named ‘Punsh Drunk Boxing’.
“First of all, why would any boxer let someone interview him from a platform called this?
Secondly, and more disturbingly why is he making these comments? Strange thing to say! Most fighters have families they’re providing for and you wanna take someone’s father away?”
Lopez went on to criticise the bias of ESPN commentators, suggesting that the likes of Andre Ward and Timothy Bradley have an agenda against him.
His father, Teo Lopez Sr, also criticised Top Rank for staging the fight with Josh Taylor in the theater at Madison Square Garden and failing to successfully promote a bout which he believes will put his son into the ‘Hall of Fame’.
Teofimo Lopez will meet Josh Taylor in the ring on June 10th, with the Scotsman’s WBO Super-Lightweight world title on the line, in what appears to be a far bigger clash for British fans, than for those in the United States.