Teofimo Lopez says he’s looking forward to beating Arnold Barboza Jr. on May 2nd and then pursuing the titles at 147.
Lopez (21-1 13 KOs) wants to become a three-division world champion by beating the winner of the April 12th fight between IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and WBA champ Eimantas Stanionis.
As bad as Boots Ennis looked in his last fight, you can’t rule out a win for Teofimo. Ennis showed in his two fights against Karen Chukhadzhian, he’s vulnerable against boxers.
There’s not much reason for Lopez to stick around at 140 for too much longer after he defends his WBO light welterweight title against Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) on Turki Alalshikh’s card at Times Square in New York City.
“Are you sure he’s a champion? He looks like a rapper,” said Teofimo Lopez to Ring Magazine about IBF light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins. “I rang the bell at the stock exchange in New York. I must be a New Yorker,” said Lopez when told that Hitchins said he’s not a ‘real New Yorker.'”
It doesn’t seem like Teofimo is going to stay around at 140 long enough for him and IBF champion Richardson Hitchins to fight in a unification.
If Turki Alalshikh isn’t interested in that match, it looks like Teofimo will focus on fighting the winner of the Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney 2 rematch. That fight and challenging whoever emerges victorious in the unification fight between welterweight champions Jaron Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis.
“He got the key to Union City, which is in New Jersey. That’s crazy. You’re not a New Yorker. It’s self-projection. Nobody knew about you until Liam Paro, winning the IBF world title. I could care less about that. We fought at the Garden nine times. Brooklyn made, Brooklyn’s own, Teofimo Lopez.
“I want everybody. Bring them all. To me personally, beating Josh Taylor made me undisputed. Every champion at light welterweight has lost their title. The only one who has been able to successfully defend them is Teofimo right here.
“We go to 147 and fight the winner of Boots and Stanionis. Three-time Ring lineal champion at 28, that’s a goal I’m looking forward to. If everyone wants to squeeze their way in, we’re ready to fight everybody and anybody,” said Lopez.
