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It’s been a bizarre year for Teofimo Lopez
In June Teofimo Lopez pulled off an upset win over Josh Taylor, thoroughly beating the Scotsman over twelve rounds to win the WBO and The Ring light welterweight titles. That win came after a heated press tour involving the pair, with Lopez’s antics (which included a death threat) causing Taylor to storm out of an event and refuse to engage with his opponent on the mic.
Despite many questioning whether Lopez’s head was in the game, he showed up on fight night and proved he’s one of the best fighters on the planet right now. The victory also gave him three wins in a row to show he had bounced back from his first career loss, a split decision to George Kambosos Jr. in 2021.
After the win Lopez announced he was retiring from the sport. Though, not everyone believes that.
Teofimo Lopez vs. Ryan Garcia was targeted for Superbowl Weekend
According to Boxing Scene Teofimo Lopez’s retirement comments were tested by an offer to fight Ryan Garcia. Garcia, who is coming off his sole pro loss to Gervonta Davis in the spring, is due to fight Oscar Duarte this weekend.
After attending David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade this weekend, Lopez told reporters he was insulted by the financials involved in the offer he received.
“When you’re the best, when you are the guy, when you bring major sponsors, endorsements, big major business deals, when you offer me a 1.5 [million dollars] stake in the piece—f–k you,” Lopez said (per Boxing News). “So yeah I declined the offer.”
“What’s next for me is world wide takeover, that’s what’s next,” Lopez continued. “I want to go to Italy, I want to take it to other places in different ways. I got a lot of fan base in Africa, too, I want to go out there. My whole thing is taking it global because nobody else is going to help me in the boxing game no more.”
Lopez didn’t divulge whether the Garcia offer came from his promoter (Top Rank) or Garcia’s (Golden Boy). Golden Boy founder Oscar De La Hoya went on record earlier this year stating he wanted to see Garcia vs. Lopez take place over Superbowl weekend in February. Top Rank’s Bob Arum is reportedly in favour of that idea.
Garcia vs. Duarte is scheduled for Saturday night
Ryan Garcia will be looking to rebound from his decisive loss to Gervonta Davis when he takes on Oscar Duarte this weekend. That fight is scheduled for the Toyota Centre in Houston, TX and will air on DAZN. The event is due to start at 8 p.m. ET with main event ringwalks expected at 11 p.m. ET.