Teofimo Lopez, the 25-year-old boxing sensation who stunned the world by becoming the undisputed super lightweight champion, has changed his mind about retiring from the sport. After announcing his retirement on June 12, 2023, two days after defeating Josh Taylor by unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden, Lopez has now confirmed that he will come back.
Lopez, who also holds the WBO lightweight title, said that he was frustrated with the low pay he was receiving from his promoter and network, despite generating huge revenues for them. He claimed that he had made ESPN over USD 100 million and was still getting paid only USD 1 million per fight. The 25-year-old also said that he had other ideas and plans for the sport of boxing that he could not pursue if he was always in the gym training.
However, after receiving a lot of support and encouragement from his fans and fellow boxers, Lopez decided to reconsider his retirement decision. One of the fighters that Lopez has in his sights is Devin Haney, the WBC lightweight champion who is considered one of the best young talents in boxing. Lopez called out Haney on Twitter, saying that he wanted to unify all the belts in the lightweight division and prove that he was the best.
“Yo Devin Haney, since you were quick to jump in the mix for my WBO Championship belt! Let’s make the fight happen so the world can see who is about that action,” said Lopez.
He added, “And no, you will not be on the A-side. I hold the king title of the division as well, so don’t run away! Came out of retirement [I guess] because the next move was for Devin Haney to fight sorry-a** Arnold Barboza for my WBO championship title at 140 lbs.”
Lopez is one of the most exciting and charismatic fighters in the sport, with a record of 19 wins and only one loss, 13 of them coming by knockout.