By Aragon Garcia: Teofimo Lopez Sr. is overjoyed with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum revealing his plans on making the fight between his son and Teofimo Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko for September. That fight will be televised on ESPN pay-per-view ad take place in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This is the fight that Teofimo Sr. has wanted for his son for a long time, and he’s predicting that it’ll be an easier fight than Lopez’s recent victory over IBF lightweight champion Richard Commey. Teofimo (15-0, 12 KOs) stopped Commey (29-3, 26 KOs) in round two on December 14 last year to win his first world title
And Teofimo Sr. wanted a tune-up fight for his son against WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney, but neither he or his promoter Eddie Hearn showed interest in taking it. Teofimo Sr. thinks Hearn and Haney are scared.
Lomachenko will be easier for Teofimo Jr. than Commey
“I’m old school. I watch boxing on all kinds of different angles. Nobody has ever taught me how to box,” said Teofimo Lopez Sr. to Esnews.
“Bob [Arum] talked to ESPN yesterday, and it was all over. So I think the fight is going to get made in September, so I’m really excited,” said Teofimo Sr. on the Lomachenko vs. Lopez fight in the works for September. ”
But right now, we’re thinking about Loma [for September]. I’m happy that Bob is saying that we’re going to fight Loma in September. And I’m going to live with that. You don’t know how happy I am.
“I’ve been wanting this fight for the longest. I said that my son is going to take Lomachenko’s head off in his 16th fight. There’s no other fight available for us right now other than Lomachenko, so my prediction is going to come true.
“That’s what we did with Richard Commey],” said Teofimo Sr. about Lopez throwing few punches. “He threw like 40 punches, and he landed 37 punches.
“We can throw a lot of combinations, but why are we going to waste our energy when you’re trying to analyze a boxer to get him to throw the things you want him to throw when you’ve got him in a setup position where you’re going to catch him.
“We’re going to do the same thing with Loma because Loma is going to be easier cause Loma stays in the pocket, you know? Lomachenko is coming to fight. I love that,” said Teofimo Sr.
WBA/WBC/WBO lightweight champion Lomachenko has a couple of things he likes to use in his fights. He stands directly in front of his opponents and overwhelms them with his high punch output or he uses an in an out attack.
Teofimo Sr. wanted Devin Haney for a tune-up for his son
“First of all, the kid [Devin Haney] lied about the sport we had,” said Teofimo Sr. about the beef between Lopez and Haney. “We don’t like people who lie. Once you lie, you’re not a human being no more. You’re a fake. Another thing; the kid [Haney] doesn’t stop talking.
“We left him alone, and he kept talking about us. So my son [Teofimo] got tired of it. So with Lomachenko not being able to come into the country, my son said, ‘Let’s fight this dude [Haney] for a tuneup. So I called up my manager, and my manager called up Bob [Arum].
“My manager called up Eddie Hearn supposedly, and Eddie Hearn never got back to him. Now, Eddie Hearn is saying he never got a call from my managers. So who cares? My son wants to have the fight [with Haney]. Let’s do it. If Loma can’t get here, then let’s do it.
“Have you heard anything from Eddie Hearn? And have you heard anything from Devin Haney? The only thing you’ve heard from Haney is my son is a flat-footed fighter. Let’s do it. He’s [Haney] not going to do it because it’s suicide. Eddie Hearn isn’t going to make that fight happen.
“That kid [Haney] won’t last three or our rounds with my son. I’ve seen it. They’ve already sparred, and I know what it is. And they can talk all they want to do, but they’re not going to fight us.
“Up until now, the kid [Haney] hasn’t proven anything. That’s what I’m trying to say.
You could prove it right now. You could fight my son, take his belt, and then you can fight Lomachenko, and you could become the king,” said Teofimo Sr.
It looks like Haney doesn’t want any of that smoke against Teofimo, and he may not in the future either.
Teofimo Sr. says Haney and Eddie Hearn are scared
“You could turn the tables right now,” said Teofimo Sr. “That’s not going to happen because Eddie Hearn is smarter than that. He’s not going to gamble that. That’s why you don’t hear Eddie Hearn. You hear me and my son. Let’s get the fight done.
“All you’ve got to do is give us an offer and put it on social media. If we don’t take or if something happens, then they know we bull-s****, but we’re not. They know we’re serious and that’s why they’re scared.
“I pick up a lot of tricks from other fighters, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. You can’t just teach everybody, but my son has it.
“He’s been blessed. When my son is in there, he’s like a computer. He’s analyzing every punch you’re throwing. He memorizes all that until he comes and sets a trap on you.
“We’re going after Loma. If Loma can’t get in here by the end of this year, then we’re going to have to fight a tuneup. And we can take Gervonta, we can take Haney, or we can take Ryan Garcia. It’s too much of a risk for these fighters, and we’re willing to fight anybody.
“In talking with Lomachenko and Lopez, neither of them want an interim fight,” Arum said to ESPN.com. “So we would plan to do that in September, with or without an audience.”
The only thing you can conclude about Hearn and Haney is they didn’t show much of an effort to take the fight with Teofimo after he called them out. If this was a fight that Haney wanted, we likely would have seen more enthusiasm from him and Hearn.
