Bob Arum looking to make Lopez v Davis in 2022
When it comes to promoters, they are always at work. Their minds never stop when it comes to negotiations for a fight or fancying possible matchups for their fighters. Such is the case with the CEO of Top Rank, Bob Arum.
His immediate priority is the upcoming contest between WBO world welterweight champ Terence Crawford and mandatory challenger Shawn Porter on November 20. But for Arum, the grind never stops. He’s constantly scouring the landscape for upcoming talent and thinking about what’s happening down the line
During the media festivities for Crawford-Porter, the 89-year-old was sat down for an interview with FightHype to discuss the future of Top Rank. When asked about fights he would like to make going into 2022, Arum mentioned a potential match that would certainly get the public excited.
“The fight I would love to see is Teofimo [Lopez] and [Gervonta] Davis. That would be a tremendous fight… So, that’s what I’ll try to make. Assuming Teofimo gets through his fight and Davis gets through his fight, I’ll call Floyd [Mayweather Jr] up or Al [Haymon] and try to make that fight.”
THE BUSINESS OF 135
Arum is referring to unified IBF/WBA ‘super’/WBO world lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12 KO’s) and Gervonta “Tank” Davis (25-0, 24 KOs), the current WBA world champ at 135 and 140 pounds. Both men have upcoming fights to close out the year. On November 27, Lopez puts up his unified titles against mandatory IBF lightweight contender George Kambosos. Davis defends his title against Isaac Cruz on December 5.
Fans want to see matches between boxing’s quartet at lightweight: Lopez, Davis, WBC world lightweight champion Devin Haney and top contender Ryan Garcia. Lopez and Davis have talked about facing each other on numerous occasions. A fight between the two is one of the more explosive fights in the sport, as both men carry plenty of power in both hands.
Teofimo Lopez v Gervonta Davis has big-money potential in 2022. But, each man has to take care of business in their bouts. Even if Davis were to defeat Cruz in December, there’s still the unresolved matter of WBA lightweight mandatory contender Rolando “Rolly” Romero. Davis was to fight Romero on December 5, but Romero was wiped from the bout after allegations of sexual assault. If he can clear his name, one would suspect that Davis and Romero will be rescheduled.
All that aside, hope springs eternal in boxing. Given that Arum worked with Al Haymon to make Crawford-Porter, it’s conceivable they could harbor the same working relationship with Al and Floyd to make it a reality.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
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