With just two appearances in 2024, it’s certainly been a stop-start year for popular WBO and Ring light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez.
However, if his latest tease is anything to go by, 2025 is shaping up to be a standout year for the 27-year-old American, whose global Takeover is only ever one big fight contract away.
Teofimo Lopez offers updates on desired fights with Haney, Garcia and Crawford
Teofimo Lopez has been pretty much perfect since his shock loss to George Kambosos Jr in 2021; five wins in a row, including two unanimous decision victories in February and June of this year.
However, ‘The Takeover’ will be hoping that the New Year brings some much bigger rewards, with multiple boxing superstars rumored to be interested in facing the 21-1 phenom.
Speaking to Little Giant Boxing earlier this week, Lopez would reveal that his team had sent a contract to Devin Haney with a “reasonable offer of $2.4 million guaranteed,” only to hear, well, nothing back from ‘The Dream’.
“I waited a week for Team Haney to respond and they never did – we offered them a good, reasonable offer of $2.4 million guaranteed and a 55-45 split on pay-per-view at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“You wasted my time. You wasted my time too many times. I had to air it out. I was told to stay radio silent while we were trying to negotiate – I had to.”
Another big name who could step up to face Lopez in 2025 is Ryan Garcia, who has an exhibition bout lined up in Japan later this month, despite still being suspended for PED consumption.
“Right now, Ryan does not have a fight. He’s in the same kind of predicament I’m in. I’ll call Oscar [De La Hoya] later to see what’s up. Everything has to make sense.
“It can’t be wishful thinking and let’s just make a fight. We have to give them something to be interested in. I try to play it fair as best as I can as the king of the division at 140 pounds.”
Yet the last name put forward to Lopez is arguably the biggest of the bunch; 41-0 super welterweight king Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford, with the pair having a storied history of calling each other out.
“Crawford, stop being a b****, yo, and make the fight at 154 pounds! C’mon, take care of this young kid. Get me out of the ring. Get me out and put me in a stretcher.”
Lopez remains one of the most popular champions out there, and ‘The Takeover’ was keen to send one last message to his doubters as he looks to recapture the spotlight in the New Year.
“Everybody just be talking. And to everybody, stop ducking Teofimo. C’mon. He always fights the best. Where are you guys at?!”
Who would you like to see Lopez fight next – any of those three massive names take your fancy, or do you have an even better matchup in mind?