Teofimo management wants Lomachenko to agree to stipulations for rematch

By Boxing News - 06/28/2021 - Comments

By Jeff Aronow: Vasily Lomachenko will need to agree to concessions to get the rematch that he so badly wants against lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez.

It appears that Teofimo’s management is going to play hardball with Loma in negotiating this fight.

Whether Teofimo’s management is taking this approach because they don’t really want the rematch with Lomachenko or if it’s a case of bitter revenge is unclear.

Whatever victory Teo and his team get from being the A-side could be fleeting if Lomachenko destroys him in the rematch.

For the two-time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs) to get the rematch with Teofimo, he’ll need to agree to the same deal that he gave Teo last October.

Teofimo (16-0, 12 KOs) received 1.35 million for his guaranteed purse for his fight against then WBA/WBC Franchise/WBO lightweight champion Lomachenko on ESPN pay-per-view.

In a take it or leave it offer, Teofimo’s manager Dave McWater wants Lomachenko to agree to that same $1.35 million deal for him to get the rematch. If Loma refuses, he won’t get the fight and will have to look elsewhere for opponents.

“We’ll do that fight tomorrow as long as Lomachenko agrees to fight for what we did. $1.35 million,” said Teofimo Lopez’s manager Dave McWater to The Athletic.

Image: Teofimo management wants Lomachenko to agree to stipulations for rematch

“We took that first fight without a rematch clause and got treated like s*** throughout. So [Loma] can fight us on pay-per-view, take the same money we did, or otherwise go f*** himself,” said McWater.

It’s unclear what kind of purse Teofimo will receive for the rematch with Lomachenko, but it could dwarf his. Loma will still do well from the pay-per-view upside, so it’s not as if he’ll get very little for the fight.

The end game could be bad for Teofimo, though, because if he gets humiliated by Lomachenko, it’s going to be a bitter pill for him to swallow.

The A-side money split could be little solace to Teofimo if Lomachenko does a number on him by trouncing him in the rematch.

McWater isn’t saying the obvious, but there’s a genuine possibility that Teofimo could be embarrassed by Lomachenko and made to quit like some of his other opponents. Whatever Teofimo did last time against Lomachenko will be meaningless in the second fight.

If Lomachenko trounces Teofimo, he will see the roles reversed again, with Teo being offered the small money. It might be foolish at that point for Teofimo to take the third fight with Lomachenko because of what could happen to him.

We just saw what a rejuvenated Lomachenko did to Teofimo’s former opponent Masayoshi Nakatani last Saturday night in stopping him in the ninth round.

Assuming Lomachenko does the same thing to Teofimo, it’s going to put the New Yorker in a position where he’ll need to make a critical career decision.

Will Teofimo try and avenge the loss by fighting Lomachenko in a trilogy match, or does he walk away without attempting to avenge the defeat?

If Teofimo chooses to fight Loma again, he could see his career imploded with another embarrassing defeat.

Losing once to Lomachenko would be bad enough, but if Teofimo gets banjoed a second time, it could be game over for him.

Lomachenko willing to give concessions

“I always told in the boxing ring, only legacy,” Lomachenko said when told that Teofimo’s agent said that they had taken the concessions last time and that he ould have to take the concessions this time.

Image: Teofimo management wants Lomachenko to agree to stipulations for rematch

“My wish is to have a rematch,” said Lomachenko about him wanting a second fight against Teofimo. “Of course, I want revenge. I will be happy to have a rematch.”