By Sean Jones: Teofimo Lopez says Vasily Lomachenko needs to “move on” because he’s not going to give him a rematch. Teofimo doesn’t want to fight the two-time Olympic gold medalist again because he says he has bigger things in store.
Lopez recently priced himself out for a match against WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney by asking for $10 million. At least with Haney, Lopez was interested in fighting him. In the case Lomachenko, Teofimo wants no part of a second clash.
Fans believe that Teofimo is ducking the rematch with former three-division world champion Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) to avoid losing.
It looks bad that Teofimo is seemingly avoiding the rematch with Lomachenko for some reason.
Teofimo is on a high right now from his victory over the injured Lomachenko last October.
If Teofimo loses to Loma in the rematch, he’ll be right back to square one with his career. Actually, Teofimo will be worse off because he’ll have a defeat on his record.
Lopez says he hopes the former IBF/WBA/WBC lightweight champion Lomachenko has a “good career” with the time he has left, but he’s not going to get a second fight against him because he failed to include a “rematch clause” in their contract for their fight on October 17th.
Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) says he plans on giving the fans the important fights that they want to see. Teofimo, 23, is saying his next fight is going to be really big.
It’s unclear what Teofimo considers to be a big fight, but he and his dad have already let the cat out of the back by leaking to the media that they plan on setting up a fight against Australian George Kambosos Jr next.
The U.S fans don’t consider Kambosos Jr as a threat to Teofimo. Kambosos Jr is coming off of a close 12 round split decision over Lee Selby. That’s the same fighter that Josh Warrington beat in 2018.
Teofimo won’t give Lomachenko a rematch
“Because I’m going to be a d***,” said Teofimo to Fighthub on why he won’t give Lomachenko a rematch. “And because everyone was being a d*** to me and my father.
“You [Team Lomachenko] didn’t want to put a rematch clause on our contract. There’ a lot of things. I could get real dirty into this, but I’m not. I’m looking the other way.
“I’m looking for bigger and better things. This is now where I determine how my future is going to look like and how I determine it, and it’s not going to look like a cherry-pick.
“I’m going to go out there and be a fan to the fans. And I’m going to go out there and take on everyone and anyone for them because that’s what really matters, the people. Cherry-picking for me, I know I’m not one, that’s all I got to say,” said Lopez.
It would make sense for Teofimo to be turning down the rematch with Lomachenko if he were facing the top champions at 135, but he’s already ruled them out.
A fight against Kambosos Jr is going to look like Teofimo is cherry-picking because that guy isn’t considered as an elite-level 135-pounder.
Teofimo has very little time left at 135. If he’s going to take advantage of the time he has left, he needs to face the top fighters in the division.
The top lightweights:
- Gervonta Davis
- Vasily Lomachenko
- Devin Haney
- Ryan Garcia
Lopez tells Lomachenko to “Move on”
“Lomachenko is a tremendous fighter, but you’re not acting like a true champion saying such things. Move on,” said Lopez about Loma saying that the judges had a bias and that he felt he deserved the win against Teofimo.
“Sometimes I’m too tough on these guys, but it’s my upbringing. I’ve got to keep it real. I want the best for everybody.
“And I think Lomachenko, get back on your toes as much, and either go back to 130, as I said. I told you I was going to bring you back to 130, and that would be the best suit for him. I wish him nothing but the best and have a great career. He still has got some time to make something.
“It could be a lot of things. Only he knows,” said Teofimo when asked why Lomachenko is complaining about his loss and blaming the judges.
“I could bash the man, but I already bashed him enough by beating him. Now it’s about killing everyone with success.
“Next question,” said Teofimo when told that Lomachenko thinks he’s avoiding him for fear of losing.
It does sound a lot like Teofimo has lost his ambition now that he’s pulled off a big win. Teofimo is reacting in a way that we sometimes see with fighters after they strike it rich. They ease off, lose their motivation for risk-taking, and take safe fights.
It’s too bad for Top Rank promoter Bob Arum because he’s hoping that Teofimo will become the next star. But if you listen to Teofimo talk, he’s quickly slipped into the risk-averse mode that we see from lazy fighters after they make big money.
It’s very likely we’re going to see Teofimo’s career quickly deteriorate from here on out, and he’ll soon be viewed as a one-hit-wonder like Buster Douglas after his upset of Mike Tyson.
Lopez insists he’s the undisputed 135-lb champion
“The only confusion is to those who are hating, and to those who don’t want to take it in that it is true. I an undisputed [at 135],” said Lopez about him being the undisputed lightweight champion rather than a three-belt champ.
“For those that don’t want to take it in and say they’re confused about it, no, you’re not confused.
“You just don’t want to understand that it happened,” said Teofimo about him having beaten Lomachenko to win the four titles at lightweight.
“It’s not a conspiracy, it’s not something that was made up. Teofimo did that [beat Lomachenko], and I’m going to continue to do that, and to let everybody know this is just the beginning.
“So whatever you’re thinking is next or whatever you’re fearing what I’m about to do next, think of it twice, because that’s how big it is that I’m going to do next,” said Teofimo.
Technically, Teofimo is NOT the undisputed lightweight champion because his WBC Franchise title is a trinket belt that the World Boxing Council gives away to popular fighters. It’s not a belt that is won or lost.