Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez to Potentially Clash in WBO Title Fight at 140!
WBO junior welterweight champion Josh “The Tartan Tornado” Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) and one-time unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) are prominent fighters on the Top Rank roster. Signs are that they will soon be dance partners. According to ESPN, it’s likely to occur in the UK.
OTHER OPTIONS WERE ON THE TABLE
Taylor was to have engaged in a rematch against Jack Catterall on March 4 but withdrew due to a foot injury. Lopez is currently ranked first by the WBC and WBO. The WBC rules state that he’s next in line to fight reigning WBC champion Regis Prograis. But Lopez appears to be opting for a match with Taylor.
The WBO champion and Lopez have done their share of back-and-forth trash-talking over the years. After making his junior welterweight debut with a seventh-round stoppage over Pedro Campa in August 2022, Lopez called for a bout against the Tartan Tornado.
BOTTOM-LINE BUSINESS
There will be a contingent of fans claiming that Taylor is ducking a second fight with Catterall. Those same fans will also accuse Lopez of avoiding a fight with Prograis. But from Taylor, Lopez, and Top Rank’s perspective, it makes all the sense in the world.
Taylor could make more money against Lopez than he would in a rematch against Catterall. Lopez would make more money fighting Taylor in the UK than he could by fighting Prograis in the United States.
It’s a match of two in-house fighters. Taylor is the pre-eminent 140-pounder in the UK. Lopez is one of the sport’s most polarizing figures. Fans are drawn to him, no matter what he says and does. That spells viewers and plenty of butts in seats on fight night. It’s a big-money event across the pond. That harsh financial reality is why this fight is a distinct probability, like it or not.
