Eddie Hearn will fight hard to ensure Teofimo Lopez takes on Jack Catterall next

Promoter Eddie Hearn has set the record straight, the way he sees it, regarding his fighter, WBA Regular welterweight champion Jack Catterall facing WBA Super welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez next.

Despite Lopez and his manager, Keith Connolly’s, expressed desire to chase undisputed status by facing the winner of the upcoming fight between WBC welterweight champ Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn on September 12, Hearn says the matter is already settled.

“It's very straightforward,” said Hearn. “Keith's doing what Keith should be doing, trying to get the biggest fight possible for Teofimo Lopez. What we can't do is just disregard a resolution and an order from the WBA.

“Jack Catterall is the mandatory for Teofimo Lopez,” asserted Hearn. “That regular title was put in place because Rolly Romero ducked Shakhram Giyasov for years and they (the WBA) allowed all these fights. And eventually, I said, look, have you got a problem with Shakhram Giassov? 

What we'll do is we'll make it easier for you. He'll fight Jack Catterall for the regular title. The winner must fight Rolly Romero within 160 days. Agreed. Signed. Everything.”

In May of this year, 33-year-old “El Gato” Catterall, 33-2 (14 KOs), won a unanimous 12-round decision over Uzbekistan’s Giyasov to become WBA Regular champion. 

“Then they (the WBA) allow him to fight Teofimo Lopez,” Hearn continued, “they write to us and they say just to let you know, Jack Catterall fights the winner, so it'll be a fight.”

29-year-old “The Takeover” Lopez, 23-2 (13 KOs), went on to win a majority 12-round decision over Romero on August 22, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“We have emails from the WBA saying Jack will fight the winner next. That is it. And I will fight like a motherfucker to make sure that that is honoured, because if we're going to support these governing bodies in this war that's going on at the moment, you have to play by the rules, and you have to do everything that's fair under the rules that effectively you have written.”

Hearn says he doesn’t blame manager Connolly for attempting to help his fighter Lopez to circumvent the WBA’s mandate.

“So, this going to be a big, big fight, right? This going to be a pissing contest or whatever you want to call it… But by the way, I don't blame Keith. I'd do the same thing if I was Keith. Just not with those terrible glasses on.”