By Sean Jones: Teofimo Lopez has reportedly changed his mind about giving Vasily Lomachenko a rematch and instead plans on moving up to 140.
Teofimo (16-0, 12 KOs) revealed on Friday that he wants to move up to 140, take on undisputed champion Josh Taylor to become the four-belt champion in that weight class.
That would be a tough fight for Teofimo to take in his first match at 140 if he does face the unbeaten Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs), but it would be an easy match to make.
Teofimo and Taylor are both with Top Rank, so there shouldn’t be any obstacles getting in the way of setting that one up.
Of course, with Teofimo’s inflated sense of his own self-worth following his win over Lomachenko, it’s possible he could price himself out of a Taylor fight and wind up with nothing.
In that case, Teofimo could go after one of the Mickey Mouse secondary belts at 140. Sean Jones can’t see Teofimo fighting a dangerous guy like Regis Prograis because he might lose.
It’s unclear what caused Teofimo, 24, to change his mind about giving former three-division world champion Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs) a rematch.
No rematch for Lomachenko
You can argue that how Lomachenko looked in his recent fight on June 26th in destroying Masayoshi Nakatani in nine rounds has put Teofimo off the idea of fighting the talented two-time Olympic gold medalist ever again.
It looks like Teofimo smelled the coffee and came to his senses, realizing that it would be a very BAD idea for him to fight Lomachenko again now that’s he’s healthy.
Even Lomachenko said, if he were to fight him again, all the good that has come into his life would evaporate in an instant with him getting exposed.
As such, Teofimo has chosen to give up on the idea of fighting Lomachenko in a rematch, even though it would be a huge payday for him.
Eleven months ago, Teofimo defeated Lomachenko by a 12 round unanimous decision on October 17th to become the undisputed lightweight champion.
However, it was learned later that Lomachenko had a right arm injury and was basically fighting Teofimo with just one arm.
Shortly after the fight, Lomachenko had shoulder surgery to repair the problem, and he looked like a completely different fighter in his next match against Nakatani.
Teofimo wants to become the undisputed champ at 140
“I did everything at 135, and I became undisputed. Now it’s about going to 140 and becoming undisputed at 140, showing everybody you can beat the odds,” said Teofimo Lopez to ESPN. “I’ll take Josh Taylor. Give me back to back. 140, we could line them all up. 135, 140, and we could even do a catchweight at 137 1/2.
If those guys come, they come. It’s whether they want to step up to the plate,” said Teofimo when asked if he’s not interested in fighting Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
“My hand is always open. I’m just waiting for whoever wants to come in and take my food, and I’m ready.
“That’s what it comes down to. Just give it back. I’m really happy about it and very content with the man I’m starting to become.
“I’m starting to realize that in myself. 135 right now; I’m probably 145 or 144. I’ve been maintaining; I’ve been in the gym. I may not post a lot, but there’s a lot going on,” said Teofimo.
Sean Jones smells fear from Teofimo. He’s got to know what the end result would be for him if he tangles with a healthy Lomachenko now, and he’s not going to spoil everything by taking that fight.
Teofimo will be defending his four 135-lb titles next month against his IBF mandatory George Kambosos Jr. (19-0, 10 KOs) on October 4th at Madison Square Garden in New York. The fight will be shown on ESPN.
Some fighters can use a big victory to take their careers in a positive direction, and then there are others like Teofimo, who become risk aversive after a big win.
Given how Teofimo has backed away from fighting Lomachenko, it’s doubtful he’ll agree to fight Taylor. Instead, we’ll likely see Teofimo taking an easy fight against a fringe contender at 140 when he moves up.