Teofimo Lopez showed that he still belongs amongst the upper echelons of boxing this weekend by outclassing Josh Taylor across 12 rounds to clinch a unanimous decision win and snatch the Scot’s WBO super lightweight strap.
Lopez’s stock went through the roof in 2020 after stunning the world by beating Vasyl Lomachenko, but a year later it all came crashing down as he was on the receiving end of a shock himself against George Kambosos Jr.
The American recorded two wins following that loss to the Australian but didn’t show the same quality that had beaten Loma in either, and was arguably lucky to even get the nod against Sandor Martin in December.
The rocky road guiding Lopez into Saturday’s showdown even led to him suggesting he’d retire if he was beaten by the Tartan Tornado. However, following a career-best performance, he’s back in the big picture with a bounty of options ahead of him.
So what’s next? We take a look at five options for The Takeover.
Retirement
Remarkably, even in victory, Lopez has still mooted hanging up his gloves for good. In the aftermath of his win over Taylor, the 25-year-old told ringside reporters that he was “taking a break” from the sweet science.
He then doubled down on the issue in an Instagram post, stating: “What a relief! Retired at the top. Thank you boxing for the amazing life you've provided for myself and my entire loved ones! THE DOUBLE-GREATEST”.
Despite his insistence on leaving the sport behind, it doesn’t seem likely. The biggest bone of contention for the two-weight champ seems to be financial. Speaking on The Porter Way Podcast after his weekend win, Lopez said: “I think the only way you get Teo back is a nine-figure contract deal.
“Because I’ve made ESPN over $100 million. I’m still getting paid a million dollars to fight while all these other fighters have not even done a quarter of what I’ve done and accomplished in the sport, they’re getting eight, 10, 12, 15 million dollars.”
It echoes heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s claims of wanting half a billion to return to the ring last year (although not quite as extravagant), and he was back fighting Dereck Chisora just a few months later. Touch wood, we will 100% see Teofimo fight again.
Devin Haney
Easily one of the best fights to be made in boxing right now given the trajectory of both men.
Devin Haney has barely put a foot wrong since his first pro bout in 2015, recording 30 straight wins with half ending inside the distance.
This fight makes sense for a lot of reasons. They’re both a similar age, neither is shy when it comes to confidence, and they’ve a history of trading barbs. Factor in that they’re both connected to Top Rank and it shouldn’t be a hard fight to make on paper.
Haney’s victory over Lomachenko last month saw him crowned as the undisputed lightweight champion - should he want to move up, a fight with Lopez would be one hell of a way to make an entrance at 140lbs.
Their shared opposition also makes for interesting reading. While Haney had no problems dealing with Lopez’s conqueror Kambosos, handily beating ‘Ferocious’ twice in his own back yard, he did struggle against Loma in May. While it was not the robbery many claimed it was in the aftermath, with many judging the Ukrainian to be the winner, it was far less convincing than Lopez’s.
Regis Prograis
Should Lopez consider unifying at super lightweight, WBC champion and former Josh Taylor opponent Regis Prograis would make for a fascinating all-American spectacle.
Prograis snatched the WBC bauble with a classy 11th round knockout win over Jose Zepeda in November. The New Orleans native is in action again this weekend against Danielito Zorrilla in his home city and should he emerge victorious from that, we’d be pretty confident that Lopez’s name will be on his lips in the aftermath. Of all the options, this might be the most likely and we certainly wouldn’t complain.
Rolando Romero
WBA super lightweight champion Rolando Romero is ostensibly the easiest opponent that Lopez could pick for his next fight if he was targeting unification but it might also be one of the most complicated to create.
Firstly, at the end of last month Romero was ordered by the WBA to make a defence of his belt against Britain’s Ohara Davies after the latter stopped Lewis Ritson in March to move himself into mandatory contention. That already means we probably won’t see Romero vs Lopez immediately.
Then there’s the Ismael Barroso-shaped elephant in the room. Romero stopped late replacement Barroso via ninth round TKO to win the vacant title in May but the stoppage was waved off far too prematurely by referee Tony Weeks in the eyes of many. Barroso was ahead on all cards at the time.
It would be a crying shame if we didn’t get a rematch between those two eventually, even if it means pushing a scrap with Lopez back even further.
Ryan Garcia
Even on the back of his defeat to Gervonta Davis earlier this year, it’s hard to imagine a battle between these two young guns not setting the boxing world alight.
A guaranteed box office smash that would be incredibly lucrative for both men, it feels like a home run. Garcia has mentioned potentially moving up to 140lbs previously, a division he should be more comfortable in, but whether he’d dive straight in against Lopez without some form of tune-up is another matter entirely.
Garcia is potentially one of the most bankable stars in the sport, so two losses on the trot would require the American to rebuild his career entirely. We’d love to see this fight and it's certainly possible, but we’ll file this one as unlikely for the time being.
