Vasiliy Lomachenko wants to put Teofimo Lopez in his place!
On August 31, Vasiliy “Hi-Tek” Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KO’s) will face Luke Campbell (20-2, 16 KO’s). The two lightweight fighters will clash in the O2 Arena located in Greenwich, London. ESPN+ will televise the event.
When they fight, both of Lomachenko’s WBA super world and WBO world lightweight titles will be on the line. Along with Hi-Tek’s two straps, the vacant WBC world lightweight title will also be up for grabs.
The WBC title was last held and vacated, by Mikey Garcia. After Garcia relinquished the belt, the WBC named him “emeritus champion”. The special designation guarantees that if Garcia decided return to the weight class, he could immediately challenge for his former strap. Although, there is virtually no indication that he will return.
Prior to his leaving lightweight, and even now, countless fans desired a showdown between Garcia and Lomachenko. That prizefight is unlikely to materialize at this point.
Replacing that potential bout, in the fans imagination, is the theorized bout between Lomachenko and Teofimo “El Brooklyn” Lopez (14-0, 11 KO’s).
Enter: Teofimo Lopez
Lopez is one of the newer faces in the sport, but one that is rapidly growing in popularity. The undefeated power puncher has quickly forged a beneficial reputation for himself due to his crunching power, lively post-fight celebrations and energetic interviews.
Although he is still very much in the infancy of his professional career, he has made it his business to repeatedly call out Hi-Tek. Paying his thin professional resume little mind, Lopez firmly believes he has the goods to topple the unified champion right now.
Since Lopez has begun targeting the Ukrainian dynamo, he has rarely been at a loss for words. Obviously, all the banter made its way under Lomachenko’s skin. So much so, that Hi-Tek would prefer fighting the strapless protege rather than mix it up with IBF lightweight champion Richard Commey (29-2, 26 KO’s).
When asked why he wants Lopez so badly, Lomachenko responded candidly.
“Yeah, because he talks too much. He talk not good words on my side and, you know, he looks like a clown with his father and he is a comic with his father. You know, I want to show him his place.”
It will be interesting to see if this simmering grudge match can be put together. First, Loma has to overcome Campbell before any later fights can be made reality. For whatever its worth, Hi-Tek is being viewed as the supreme favorite.
3kingboxing will continue to follow the Hi-Tek vs Campbell prizefight formalities as well as the latest back-and-forth banter with team Lopez.
By: Bakari Simpson
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