Light welterweight champions Teofimo Lopez & Subriel Matias are reportedly in advanced talks for a unification fight on June 7th or 8th in New York City during the Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend.
Chris Mannix states that WBO 140-lb champion Teofimo (19-1, 13 KOs) and IBF champ Matias (20-1, 20 KOs) have had “substantive conversations” for what would be a highly anticipated fight in June to unify the two belts.
As long as Teofimo doesn’t price himself out for this fight, we could see an excellent fight this summer. Matias has the pressure style of fighting that could give Teofimo problems, as he struggled in the second half of his fight with Vasily Lomachenko when the smaller, older fighter was walking him down.
Teofimo vs. Matias will generate huge interest
If this fight gets made, there will be a lot of interest from boxing fans and will put the winner in a position to face WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney for a three-belt unification if he doesn’t vacate or gets stripped of his belt before then.
Bill Haney’s talk of Subriel demanding $4 million to fight Devin has been proven false, and anyone can guess why he made this claim. Was it clout-chasing on Bill’s part to give Devin a little extra fame by mentioning Matias’ name?
It would be in Devin’s best interest for him to try and get the fight with Matias before Teofimo because that might be the best option available to him for a bout to increase his popularity after his win last weekend against Regis Prograis.
Like Subriel, Teofimo is Puerto Rican, so the fight makes sense. It’s important for Teofimo and his promoters at Top Rank to nail down the fight with the boogie man of the 140-lb division, Subriel before one of the other top guys sets up a clash with him.
For Teofimo to want Matias, he must believe that he sees something in his style that he can capitalize on to get the victory. Teofimo is a slick boxer with power, and he’ll try to outbox Matias like he did against his last opponent, Josh Taylor.
Matias’ recent fifth round stoppage victory over previously unbeaten Shohjahon Ergashev (23-1, 20 KOs) on the David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade card on November 25th has increased his popularity, making him in demand.
The powerful IBF champion Subriel stole the show from the main event fight between Benavidez & Andrade by bludgeoning Ergashev for five rounds to score a stoppage.
Will ring rust hurt Teofimo?
June is a long time to wait for the Teofimo-Matias fight to take place, and it could be a problem for the 26-year-old Teofimo, who will be emerging from a 12-month layoff. That’s not ideal for the Top Rank-promoted fighter Teofimo, but it’s in keeping with his irregular activity since his big win over Vasily Lomachenko in 2020.
The instant fame that Teofimo got from the win, which some felt was controversial, went to his head, and he’s only looked good in one fight since against a washed Josh Taylor last June.
You never know what you’ll get with Teofimo because he fights poorly against average boxers but raises his game against the better ones. Teofimo sometimes looks like a mental basket case and not got it together inside his head when he’s in the ring.
It’s fair to say that if Teofimo performs against Matias as he did in his fights against Sandor Martin, George Kambosos Jr., and Pedro Campa, he’ll be knocked out.
Top Rank has got to maximize the fights they’ve got left with Teofimo to get their money’s worth because there wasn’t much fan interest in his last three bouts against Josh Taylor, Sandor Martin, and Pedro Campa.
Teofimo has been winning lately, but the boxing public has not paid attention because they didn’t ask for these fights. If Teofimo loses to Matias, it’ll be interesting to see what Top Rank does to salvage Teo’s career.
There have been substantive conversations between TR and Matias for a Teofimo-Matias fight next year. One option, I’m told (and referenced on @DAZNBoxing on Saturday) is a showdown in June, on the NYC Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend. https://t.co/9LHE4Ap42N
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) December 11, 2023
