Haney Says Lopez Ducked A Fight

Devin Haney says that Teofimo Lopez avoided a boxing fight with him, turning down the chance to face off in October. 

The duo have long been linked with a fight ever since their days at lightweight. Lopez was a unified lightweight champion before he lost his belt to George Kambosos Jr. It was the first defeat of his career as The Takeover, then moved up to junior welterweight. During that period, he became a two-time lineal and two-weight world champion after beating the former Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor. 

Haney stayed at lightweight, defeating Kambosos to become the youngest undisputed champion of the four-belt era. He then moved up to 140 pounds and faced Regis Prograis in his first fight at the weight class. He dominated Prograis and beat him by a unanimous decision to become the WBC Junior Welterweight Champion. 

Haney then boxed Ryan Garcia and suffered his first loss by a majority decision. However, the result became a no-contest after Garcia’s failed VADA tests. Haney subsequently did not defend his WBC belt as he was stripped, leaving question marks over his next opponent. He is back in training and could fight in December. The Saudis reportedly offered Lopez as an opponent, but Haney stated that Teo turned it down, claiming that he was not ready to take it.

Haney On Lopez

“I was supposed to get back in the ring in October in Saudi Arabia, and the next fight was going to be Teo. Turki offered him a fight. He said he’s not ready,” Haney said

This raises question marks over where the two fighters go next. They were linked with moves up to 147 after showing a reluctance to stay at 140. A fight with the WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios is feasible for both of them. Barrios will box Abel Ramos on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card in November. A win for Haney or Lopez against Barrios makes them a three-division champion. Barrios is seen as the most realistic fight in the weight class since the other champions in the division are hard hitters. 

Jaron Ennis is a risky fight, given that he has a high knockout rate. The same goes for Eimantas Stanionis, who is also undefeated. Lopez, though, is targeting a fight with Terence Crawford. But since Bud boxes at 154 pounds, jumping up two weight classes to take that fight is a big task. Crawford also came off a win against Israel Madrimov in his last fight, which made him a four-division champion as he picked up the WBA belt at 154. 

Will It Happen?

There is less of an incentive for Crawford to face Lopez since he is chasing a bigger fight with Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight. Alternatively, a fight with Ennis is bigger for Crawford than Lopez, leaving Teo further down the pecking order. However, a fight between Haney and Lopez could play out in the future if they win their respective next fights. 

But that all depends on if Lopez wants legacy, given that Haney currently does not hold a belt. A more feasible fight for Haney may be to face the IBF Junior Welterweight Champion Liam Paro. Paro is closely aligned with Matchroom Boxing, and Haney also works closely with Eddie Hearn, making that fight much easier to make. Either way, both fighters have plenty of things to ponder about moving forward.