Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez are moving closer to a welterweight title fight in the first quarter of 2027, according to Mike Coppinger.
The January-through-March target gives Ryan a major payday to pursue without squeezing in another appearance in December. No firm date or venue was included in the update, and the fight has yet to be announced.
“Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez are now in advanced talks to fight in the first quarter of 2027, sources tell. Expect this welterweight title fight to happen next. And it’s a big one,” said Coppinger on X. “I believe the Garcia-Teo fight will happen regardless of the WBA’s ruling here. Catterall could end up being elevated.”
Teofimo’s WBA mandatory obligation to Jack Catterall remains unresolved, but that doesn’t have to stop the Ryan fight. The WBA belt isn’t needed to sell this matchup. Ryan’s WBC championship would still be available, and the appeal comes largely from putting these two recognizable names together.
The belt’s greater value to Teofimo could be at the negotiating table. Arriving as a fellow champion gives him another argument when discussing his share of the money. Relinquishing it would remove that bargaining point.
However, if Ryan, his promoters, and the financial backers are willing to offer Teofimo comparable money without the WBA title, keeping it becomes harder to justify. He could surrender the belt, remove the mandatory obligation, and proceed directly toward the bigger payday.
Facing Catterall first would introduce a risk that negotiations alone cannot remove. Teofimo could lose, suffer an injury, or come through a difficult fight needing more recovery time. Any of those outcomes could affect the timing or financial terms of a Ryan matchup.
Catterall has publicly opposed stepping aside. The WBA ordered the fight and gave the camps until October 22 to reach an agreement, leaving Teofimo with a decision if the organization insists on enforcing its mandatory.
That makes the financial terms of the Ryan negotiations especially interesting. If the offer depends heavily on Teofimo bringing his championship, he has a reason to seek permission to bypass Catterall. If the money is essentially the same either way, relinquishing offers a straightforward route.
The WBA can determine what Teofimo must do to retain its belt. Whether that belt is worth keeping could ultimately come down to how much Ryan’s side is willing to pay him without it.