Mandatory contender for the WBC super lightweight title and former absolute division lower American Teofimo Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) will not accept the fight with the current belt holder compatriot Regis Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs).
About it
declared father/coach Teofimo Lopez Sr.: “This fight will not happen. Why? And what will we get for it? 35% of the prize pool? There won’t be a hefty paycheck at stake in this fight. And if so, why fight for something? I know the fans don’t get it. But we want to play cards Top Rank on ESPN channel. We want everything together – both belts and money. Title? He will come… If not today, then tomorrow. Somewhere in July we will get a fight with Josh Taylor. Let’s have an intermediate match first. That’s what I told Bob Arum.”
Lopez, the father, claims that “his son was definitely not afraid of Prograis. I would even like him to fight him and beat the shit out of him. Rumor has it that Prograis’ wife doesn’t want her husband to fight Teofimo. He says he’s dangerous. I don’t know, maybe it’s just rumors, but that’s what they say on the sidelines. We would love to fight him. I think sooner or later this fight will take place. The fans want to see it because it’s the biggest fight ever.”
Previously, Lopez put forward a very strange theory, and Prograis turned to Teofimo’s father: “Dude, you don’t care about your son?”