Arnold Barboza Jr Has Eyes on a Fight with Teofimo Lopez Next!
In front of a sold-out crowd at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California, Arnold Barboza Jr (27-0, 10 KOs) scored a ten-round, unanimous decision win over Danielito Zorrilla (16-1, 12 KOs) in a match of previously unbeaten, world-ranked junior welterweights. It was a hard-fought affair as Barboza survived getting stunned in the final round to pull out the victory.
Ranked eighth by the WBO and eleventh by the WBC at 140-pounds, the victor is inching closer to a world title shot. Following the win over Zorilla, Barboza opined on his mission moving forward. For the resident of Los Angeles, California, it’s either a world title show or a showdown against a particular former world champion.
BRING ON TEOFIMO!
“The main goal is a title shot; that’s the main goal. […] If my manager knows if we can’t get a title shot, he knows what it is. We want Teofimo (Lopez). So, it’s either a title shot or him; we’ll see what happens.”
After getting over the injuries and the embarrassment of losing the unified lightweight titles to George Kambosos in November 2021, Lopez (16-1, 12 KOs) is returning to the ring. He’s scheduled to face Pedro Campa (34-1-1, 23 KOs) on August 20 in his junior welterweight debut.
If Lopez is victorious, a fight with Campa makes sense. With both fighters promoted by Top Rank, it should not be too difficult to make. It’s a fight that fans would embrace. Style-wise, it would make for a fairly competitive scrap.
All of this depends on how Lopez looks against Campa in August. Barboza is unlikely to receive a world title shot this year. Lopez is also world-ranked at 140 (4th WBO, 6th WBC, 8th WBA), but he needs to adjust and get settled in a new division. Do not be surprised if Bob Arum and the rest of the brass at Top Rank already have something in the works.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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