Well, that didn’t last long as WBO & Ring Magazine junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) has called for a fight against the undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney (30-0, 15 KOs). Lopez released a thread of tweets essentially calling out Haney for a fight in the future.
Yo @Realdevinhaney , since you were so quick to jump in the mix for my WBO Championship belt! Let’s make the fight happen so the world can see who is about that action.
— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) July 13, 2023
& no, you will not be on the A-side. I hold the King title of the division as well! So don’t run away!! Bitch
Came out of retirement (I guess) because the next move was for Devin Haney to fight sorry ass Arnold Barboza for my WBO championship title at 140lbs.
— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) July 13, 2023
F’ that. I’m tired of helping this kid be something that he is not. And that’s a real champion!
The problem is that it again pushes junior welterweight contender Arnold Barboza Jr. (28-0, 10 KOs) to the side. Barboza Jr. has to be looking at these tweets and wondering when he will get his just due. It seems like he’s been in a fight that would give him a world title opportunity for the last three fights, yet he still awaits his shot. That part of the story will be brought by ProBoxTV when Barboza Jr. is available.
This rivalry between Lopez and Haney has been brewing for a long time. There was a moment captured by the DAZN cameras where Lopez and Haney were going at each other with some verbal sparring as Lopez was scheduled to fight George Kambosos Jr. Although the fathers got involved, there was some real tension between the two young champions, and now there is an opportunity for a mega-fight between the two. The question is whether Haney wants to move up in weight and fight Lopez. It’s a great fight and one that would have the attention of the whole boxing world but an event that significant requires both sides to agree on a ton of things, and that’s where fights usually fall apart. But let’s say it all gets worked out; a Lopez vs. Haney fight is too good to be true for this already great year but something to consider for next year. But if they can squeeze it in, this may be the greatest year for boxing in the sport's history.
