Following times where he questioned his skills, Teofimo Lopez returned to form on June 10. 'The Takeover' beat Josh Taylor to become WBO and The Ring super lightweight champion. It was a performance Lopez will never forget.
At only 25, Lopez has beaten the likes of Vasiliy Lomachenko (lightweight) and Taylor (super lightweight) to control the fate of two divisions. He joked over previous doubts he had about himself following a fight where he averaged 13 landed punches per round and landed 40% of his power punches.
"I questioned myself for a good reason. You guys don’t understand,” Taylor said. “I’ve always been my worst critic. And you guys got a little glimpse of it. But, I’ve just got to ask you one thing, and one thing only. Do I still got it?”
Re-entering boxing's often-debated pound-for-pound list, Lopez controls the fate of the super lightweight division. Will he face the rest of the best in boxing, or will he not be within the division or even the sport much longer?
MORE: Teofimo Lopez returns to elite level, proves himself once again
Lopez has plenty of options in boxing, from a current undisputed champion to what many have called the “face of boxing”. He has even teased a potential retirement to “take a break” from the sport.
The Sporting News looks into the options in front of Lopez following his big win.
Will Teofimo Lopez fight Devin Haney?
Thanks to family, a fight to make is Taylor vs. Devin Haney, the undisputed lightweight champion.
Haney beat the man (George Kambosos Jr.) that beat the man (Lopez) that beat the man (Lomachenko) to become undisputed at 135. Since then, he beat Kambosos in a rematch and edged Lomachenko to retain the belts. Following a questionable scoring decision in the latter bout, Lomachenko may look to rematch Haney.
Top Rank’s Bob Arum presented options for Haney to fight: Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson, and the winner of Lopez-Taylor.
The fathers of both men have already planned a fight between the two. Teofimo Lopez Sr. called for a $20 million payout to Bill Haney if a bout with their sons happened.
Will Teofimo Lopez fight Gervonta Davis?
Davis is just coming off a win against Ryan Garcia in April. However, he is in prison for 90 days after violating the terms of a recent sentence following a hit-and-run incident.
Once he can compete again, 'Tank' has options.
MORE: Gervonta Davis legal history:
The WBA (Regular) lightweight champion could face Garcia in a rematch. He can also face the likes of Stevenson, Frank Martin, or Isaac Cruz. Lopez’s father respects the skills of Davis, and talked about a future fight between the lightweight champion and his son.
“Tank is a f------ monster,” Lopez Sr. told Boxing Scene. “I respect Tank, he has a powerful left hand, but he needs to go to the top dogs. We’re right there, we’re waiting for him.”
Will Teofimo Lopez retire from boxing?
While matchups against boxing’s elite are enticing, Lopez may be interested in hanging up his gloves.
Following his fight, Lopez told reporters inside Madison Square Garden that he wanted to take a break from the sport. Boxing will also come second as he faces his ex-wife in divorce hearings. Lopez even posted on Instagram stating his boxing career was at an end.
“What a relief! Retired at the Top. Thank you Boxing for the amazing life you’ve provided for myself and my entire loved ones! THE DOUBLE-GREATEST.”
If Lopez has the itch to fight again, he would only do it for a salary increase. Speaking with Shawn Porter on The Porter Way Podcast, Lopez wants a nine-figure deal. He claimed to have given ESPN, the broadcaster of Top Rank, enough to justify the money he's looking for.
“I think the only way you get Teo back is a nine-figure contract deal,” Lopez said via Boxing Scene. “Because I’ve made ESPN over $100 million. I’m still getting paid a million dollars to fight while all these other fighters have not even done a quarter of what I’ve done and accomplished in the sport, they’re getting eight, 10, 12, 15 million dollars. So obviously, I’m the black sheep of the industry, and they’re really hurting me on that end. I really want to fix the sport of the boxing world and the corruption that’s going on.”
On Max Kellerman's This Just In on June 12, Lopez officially announced his retirement. He mentioned opening a gym in South Florida.
.@TeofimoLopez tells @maxkellerman that he’s retiring from boxing at the age of 25. pic.twitter.com/C0qQYFNeqG — ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) June 12, 2023
"I have a lot of things in mind for that sport of boxing. I really can’t do that if I’m always in the gym preparing for an upcoming fight," Lopez said.
Lopez has since vacated the WBO super lightweight title. He has not given up The Ring belt at this moment.
Thank you everyone for making the greatest moments in my career a GREAT ONE!
Thank you @trboxing and @espn for creating “THE TAKEOVER” into a real thing! I am forever grateful for all of the sanctioning bodies in Boxing for showing me I can and am more than Boxing! What a career https://t.co/KYQJ5pWPdf — Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) June 15, 2023
Top Rank has not released a statement on Lopez’s future as of this moment.