Teofimo Lopez Anxious to Exit his Top Rank Contract
Technically speaking, super lightweight fighter Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez (18-1, 13 KO’s) is contractually committed to Top Rank promotions through 2024. Yet, if given his choice, he would create an escape route much sooner. As 3Kings Boxing reported, Lopez recently made his displeasure with his promotional company a public matter. The former unified lightweight champion even went so far as to say that his upcoming bout versus Josh Taylor would be his last match with Top Rank.
Unsurprisingly, The Takeover was forced to do a bit of backtracking. This will not be his last contest under his current promotional banner. Yet, in one of his latest interviews, conducted with Fight Hub TV, Lopez persisted in expressing his desire to be freed of his established contractual obligations.
“It’s not my last fight with ESPN and Top Rank, I think I got until 2024. [Or maybe ] no I don’t, people can buy your contract out. That’s still a thing. I’m an expensive whore!”
“I’m really just aiming for who wants to buy me out. It’s not going to be a big deal, it’s not going to be a lot of money for them to buy me out because I am at the end of my contract. They don’t want me anyways, so it’s a win-win-win for everybody.”
BACKTRACK CENTRAL
Going a bit further, Lopez explained how he would like to delve deeper into the promotional game himself.
“No bad blood, I got my Takeover Promotions, so obviously I am going to see that side again. But after this fight, I am going to start signing fighters and working on those things as well and become an actual part of the business of boxing and do my own key points in there. [I’m] trying to help the youth as much as possible, educate them, show them different ways. You can call them my disciples, you can call them whatever you want but that’s really what we are doing it for.”
PUT UP OR SHUT UP
It will be interesting to see what Lopez does in the ring and behind the scenes. In his last outing, versus Sandor Martin, he put on a very shaky performance. There is a widespread belief that he should have lost the fight. The Takeover was even recorded questioning himself and his own skills that night.
Given his inflammatory comments about his own team combined with his lackluster performance against Martin, Lopez is under a great amount of pressure heading into the Taylor fight. If he really intends to entice another promotional outfit to produce buyout money, then The Takeover better compete like Teofimo Lopez of old. One more bad showing would certainly hurt his professional momentum and overall market value. So, let’s wait and see what the ever controversial Lopez can do with Josh Taylor come June 10!
