American Teofimo Lopez became a three-weight world champion on Saturday, capturing Rolando Romero’s WBA ‘Super’ welterweight title via majority decision at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The 29-year-old, who previously held titles at lightweight and light-welterweight, opted not to target Britain’s Jack Catterall for his first defense. Catterall holds the WBA ‘Regular’ belt and stands as the mandatory challenger, though Lopez hopes the sanctioning body will approve a unification clash instead.
Lopez expressed a preference for facing the winner of the upcoming WBC title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn—scheduled for September 12 at the same venue—or pursuing a unification bout with Australia’s IBF champion, Liam Paro.
“So, you got Ryan Garcia versus Conor Benn. That’s the next one. We’ll see what happens there. If Conor wins, it’s a great fight to take across the pond,” Lopez said. “I think I’d rather wait for Devin [Haney, WBO champion] at the end. So, it’ll either be Liam Paro next or the winner out of Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.”
Catterall responded quickly on social media, posting: “Congratulations Teofimo Lopez but I will be taking that belt 100%. Let’s Gooo.”
Also Read
- Shanto Urges Bangladesh to Replicate Darwin Success in South Africa Following Mackay Setback
- Eliot Wolf on Christian Gonzalez: “Each side is trying to do what’s right for them”
- Media Speculation Arises Over Manager Nuno’s Future Following Poor Championship Start
- Rolly Romero Calls for Immediate Rematch with Teofimo Lopez
