Tensions Rise As Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez Get Into a Heated Ringside Argument
Devin Haney (26-0, 15 KOs) is in these boxing streets looking for a fight. The reigning WBC world lightweight champion has become more and more assertive in a pursuit to fight the biggest and the best in the division.
One of his targets was unified IBF/WBA ‘super’/WBO world champ, Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs). However, Haney had seemingly cooled on that notion, citing he was tired of wasting his time on him. Well, it looks like that has suddenly changed.
As it turns out, both men were in attendance for a Matchroom Boxing event in Fresno, California, headlined by Sandor Martin’s shocking upset of four-division world champion Mikey Garcia. That’s where Haney and Lopez got into a heated back-and-forth argument, challenging each other to a fight.
They argued about a previous meeting to make a fight. Devin’s father/trainer, Bill Haney, asked Teofimo, “can we make this fight a deal?”
Lopez responded by saying anytime and warned Devin not to test him. Afterward, Teofimo and his dad/trainer, Teofimo Lopez Sr, got into it with Matchroom CEO Eddie Hearn, with Lopez Sr having this to say about the WBC champ.
“Fuck Devin Haney! He’s not gonna last! He hasn’t fought nobody! We will knock him out!”
Lopez’s next fight is against IBF mandatory challenger George Kambosos on DAZN. Haney is to defend his title on December 3 against an opponent to be determined, also on DAZN. He’s hoping that will be against the WBC “interim” world lightweight champion Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz after they got into a spat of their own on social media.
Hearn had to be sitting back smiling at what went down. He has a working relationship with Haney and would love to be directly involved in negotiating a fight against Lopez. A shrewd businessman, look for him to appear on various boxing media outlets attempting to talk up that potential match over the next few days.
While the rhetoric was highly inflammatory, this could be a negative thing for Haney long-term and does nothing in his chase for a big fight. It will hurt his cause from a public relations standpoint. After what went down at ringside in Fresno, the call for a Lopez-Haney world lightweight unification clash will grow louder and louder. Fans are hoping this ultimately turns into a match at some point in 2022.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
Be the first to comment