Eddie Hearn is convinced Teofimo Lopez will not wiggle out of facing Jack Catterall. Matchroom holds stack after stack of written promises from the WBA guaranteeing the mandatory order stands.
Teofimo’s camp wants an exception so they can chase a unification scrap with Ryan Garcia. Hearn is betting the WBA refuses to play along, forcing Teofimo to either step into the ring with Catterall or give up the welterweight crown.
“Teofimo has pushed back and said, ‘We don’t think we should have to fight Jack Catterall. We’d like to try and make another fight,’” Hearn told iFL TV.
“Basically, the WBA are going to say no because we’ve had multiple dozens of assurances in writing through the resolution.”
The WBA ordered the fight on September 22, giving the sides until October 22 to negotiate. That deadline does not guarantee a ruling on Teofimo’s request that day. Failure to reach an agreement could lead to purse bids, depending on how the sanctioning body handles the pending petition.
Hearn claims Matchroom holds ironclad written guarantees from the WBA locking in the Catterall defense, leaving him convinced the sanctioning body will shut down Teofimo’s petition to steer elsewhere.
“Teofimo Lopez will have the decision to fight Jack Catterall or vacate the belt,” he said.
Hearn knows Teofimo would earn more fighting Ryan, but says that doesn’t give him a pass to skip Catterall.
“I get it. It’s not a fight that pays you as much money as Ryan Garcia, but it’s a good fight that pays you a lot of money,” Hearn said. “Do as champions should do and make the fight.”
Right now, Catterall sits on hold while Teofimo chases the bigger fight against Ryan. Enforcing the mandatory would give Catterall clarity, but it might not actually hand him the fight he wants. Teofimo can still chase the Ryan fight, but Hearn says he’ll have to give up his WBA belt to do it. He doesn’t expect the WBA to let him keep Catterall waiting.
If Teofimo vacates his WBA belt, fans will not call it a shrewd business maneuver, though. Many will call it a duck. It becomes Ryan defending his WBC title against a challenger who showed the boxing world he didn’t want to face a Catterall, who fights a lot like Shakur Stevenson.
For the Ryan Garcia bout, it knocks a massive dent in the promotional luster. More importantly, it destroys Teofimo’s bargaining power at the negotiation table. Without a belt, Teofimo loses any claim to parity. Ryan will dictate the purse split, the ring walks, the poster placement, and the rules of engagement. The moment Teofimo drops the title, the event gets downgraded.