Arnold Barboza Jr. is the number one contender for Teofimo Lopez’s junior welterweight championship.
Barboza stopped Xolisani Ndongeni in the eighth round of his Golden Boy Promotions debut last Saturday and is eager for what lies ahead.
Lopez, meanwhile, puts his title on the line in a Thursday, February 8 showdown against against Jamaine Ortiz on an ESPN telecast.
Now, Barboza has made it clear who he wants next. "Why don't you just fight me?" he told ProBox TV.
When we asked him if he thinks Lopez even wants to box him, he said: "No, I don't think he does."
He added: "He likes to call me light work, but if I was light work, why don’t you get your quick money and go onto the next [fight].
"So, I told Oscar [de la Hoya] and Eric [Gomez], man let’s apply pressure on his neck. Lets talk to the WBO and make the mandatory. So, after he fights Ortiz, if he gets through that one, then he has no choice to fight me, or vacate the belt."
Barboza continued: “It has been a whole year-and-a-half of disrespect from them. From the moves they make to social media [posts]. It has been very disrespectful, and playing with me. So when I get to see them in person, it just made my blood boil.
“The thing is we have Oscar now, and B-Hop [Bernard Hopkins]. We got a team supporting us now. [The fight with Teofimo Lopez] could very well happen. Like some would say it has got to be the fighter, who wants to fight, and not everyone else.
"When I was talking to him at the fights, he said, ‘I am not giving you the opportunity.’ Yeah, I already know that you denied the fight a lot of times. It is all good, we are going to stay active, and not let that hold us back.”
Barboza referenced a recently video of himself and Lopez that has circulated around the internet. Not unlike many viral videos, nothing really seems to happen, but Barboza approaches Lopez who seems to go the other direction in the quick clip.
“I am not like that [a bully], I am a cool real chill dude. I keep to myself, I am never out there like that. It was something in the air, Ohara [Davies] couldn’t sleep, but something was different for me.”
Barboza is now 32-years-old. His record 29-0, 11 knockouts. Originally signed by Top Rank for the quality sparring he gave Mike Alvarado in preparation for his fight with Juan Manuel Márquez, Barboza has come from the club shows to becoming a main event fighter. He starts 2024 with a new promoter, Golden Boy Promotions and believes that is the difference.
“I am tried of talking, no more talking!”
