Teofimo Lopez vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko: Bob Arum hopes to finalize fight soon for Oct.3

By Boxing News - 08/07/2020 - Comments

By Matt Lieberman: Bob Arum is confident that he’ll be wrapping up the negotiations for the Teofimo Lopez vs. Vasily Lomachenko fight soon for October 3.

Lopez, 23, wanted around $2 million, but he was offered $1.2 million, which is less than the $3.4 million WBA/WBC/WBO lightweight championLomachenko is receiving.

Arum told SiriusXMBoxing that IBF lightweight champion Teofimo (15-0, 12 KOs) has come to his senses, and he understands that the money isn’t there for him to get his desired purse.

Teofimo will still get a nice payday

Lopez won’t make the same kind of money that he’s getting against 32-year-old Lomachenko against anyone else, so it makes sense for him to agree to the offer if that’s all he can get. If Lopez beats Lomachenko, then he’ll get a lot more for the rematch, which is what he should be focusing on right now.

Teofimo needs to kick Lomachenko off the hill as the #1 fighter in the lightweight division and take his place. From there, the money will come in for Teofimo as long as he remains on top.

You can’t compare the type of money that lightweights like Lopez and Lomachenko are getting to the massive paydays that WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, and Anthony Joshua routinely receive. They bring in the fans both at the gate and on the networks.

The heavyweight division has always been a popular weight class, and lightweights can’t compete for that kind of interest from fans.

Image: Teofimo Lopez vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko: Bob Arum hopes to finalize fight soon for Oct.3

It’s unclear whether Top Rank will place Lopez vs. Lomachenko on ESPN+ or ESPN pay-per-view. It’s not a fight worthy of PPV right now, and they might regret putting in that area if the buys turn out to be horrible. It’s not unreasonable to assume that the fight brings in fewer than 50,000 purchases.

Lomachenko and Teofimo aren’t stars, and they would be asking for boxing fans to pay to see them fight in the middle of the worst pandemic since 1918. It’s not just the pandemic. It’s the weak economy that goes with it that would result in very few buys for Lomachenko-Teofimo.

Lopez believes he can win

There was concern earlier this week that Teofimo would move on and go in another direction after he turned down the $1.2M that was offered to him. But apparently, the New York native changed his mind to continue the negotiations.

What the 23-year-old Teofimo has working for him is the fact that he believes he can beat Lomachenko, so that makes it easier for him to agree to take less. If Teofimo didn’t think he had a shot at unseating Loma, it wouldn’t work in his favor to agree to the smaller amount.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mou4rphWQE&t=83s

The winner of the Lomachenko-Lopez contest on October 3 will hold all four of the titles at lightweight. There are some boxing fans, however, who believe that Lomachenko isn’t a champion with the WBC he holds the Franchise belt.

That’s a non-transferable title. But most of the people that follow the sport will give the winner of the Lomachenko-Lopez fight as being the undisputed champion. It would still be a wise move for the winner to call out WBC champion Devin Haney so that they can face him to quiet the criticism.

If Teofimo wins, there will be a rematch with Lomachenko without question. Loma won’t move on without attempting to avenge his loss one or another.

Image: Teofimo Lopez vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko: Bob Arum hopes to finalize fight soon for Oct.3

But if Lomachenko beats Teofimo, he’s probably going to move back down to 130 and take on the top super featherweight. Arum has the following fighters signed to them at 130:

  • Shakur Stevenson
  • Oscar Valdez
  • Jamel Herring
  • Carl Frampton
  • Miguel Berchelt
  • Emanuel Navarrete – featherweight
  • Michael Colan

There are seven exciting fights in addition to rematches against some of them for Lomachenko once he moves down to 130.