Vasiliy Lomachenko: record, next fight and profile →
As BoxingScene.com previously reported, there is trouble in paradise when it comes to finalizing the lightweight unification between WBA, WBO champion Vasiliy Lomachenko and IBF champion Teofimo Lopez.
Bob Arum and Teofimo Lopez have drawn their proverbial lines in the sand. Their respective stances have placed the unbeaten IBF lightweight champion’s showdown with Vasiliy Lomachenko in jeopardy. They’re tentatively scheduled to fight October 3 in Las Vegas, but Arum disagrees with Lopez and Lopez’s manager, David McWater, on how much money the biggest fight of Lopez’s career should be worth to him.
For the right fight, Teofimo Lopez could be convinced to stick around for a bit longer in the bustling 135-pound division. The strapping 23-year-old lightweight titleholder has mentioned repeatedly that his final fight at 135 will be his projected (partial) unification bout against Vasiliy Lomachenko – who owns two lightweight belt titles – mainly because his body is outgrowing the division. Lopez won his lightweight belt by knocking out Richard Commey in the second round at Madison Square Garden in New York City last December.
Something positive potentially could happen for cost-conscious boxing fans in this constantly changing, COVID-19 world. Promoter Bob Arum has informed BoxingScene.com that it’s still possible that the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez fight could air live on ESPN. Arum previously believed that their expensive lightweight title unification bout was bound for ESPN Pay-Per-View on October 3, but the 88-year-old promoter is awaiting word from ESPN executives regarding how they’ll televise one of the most highly anticipated fights on the remainder of the 2020 boxing calendar.
Puerto Rican lightweight contender Felix "El Diamante" Verdejo has double-downed on his demand to fight unified world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. Verdejo wants revenge for Lomachneko defeating him in the 2012 Olympic games in London.
Felix Verdejo is ready for a brighter future, one which he hopes will include a chance to claim back a piece of his past. The 27-year old lightweight from San Juan, Puerto Rico collected his fourth straight victory, stopping previously unbeaten Will Madera in one round Thursday evening at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Their ESPN-televised headliner lasted just 2:59, ending with Madera on the canvas after absorbing two uppercuts and a cleanup right hand.
Terence Crawford may want to rethink his hardline position on pandemic-era purses, according to a certain observer. The welterweight titleholder caused a stir last month for saying he would rather sit out indefinitely than take a pay cut and fight as a result of Covid-19. The novel coronavirus has just about crippled every facet of the global economy, forcing record layoffs and depressed wages.
Felix Verdejo has wanted to avenge his Olympic loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko since they turned pro in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Now that Verdejo has re-established himself as a lightweight contender following a technical-knockout loss two years ago, he feels his rematch with Lomachenko has become a realistic possibility again. If Verdejo defeats Will Madera in their 10-round lightweight bout Thursday night in Las Vegas, the Puerto Rican veteran expects to move into position to fight the winner of the highly anticipated Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez lightweight title unification fight.
Undefeated WBC lightweight champion, Devin “The Dream” Haney (24-0, 15 KOs), sounds off, putting the big names surrounding his weight class on notice as he awaits the announcement of this next fight. In addition, Haney gives his thoughts on his next fight during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the mental and physical benefits of being quarantined.
Scheduling and rescheduling is the name of the game as Top Rank is working on its schedule for the rest of the year, which includes a date change for the much-anticipated lightweight title unification between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez Jr.