Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez - October 17, 2020

[Onetimeonly]

I don't agree with no one gave Loma flack. Whenever people would bring up Loma p4p for a long time people say he shouldn't
lose to Salido level fighter if you p4p. Nobody give world class credit for losing. Nobody really remembers say Felix Sturm beat Oscar De la Hoya its considered a loss.

Loma wasn’t P4P though when he lost his 2nd bout.

Don't waste your time, this dude has no concept of context. This is someone using Charlo/Williams and Inoue/donaire as comparable fights.

[Perkin Warbeck]

Interesting matchup.

65% chance Lomachenko will win. 35% chance Lopez will knock Loma out.

[Enlightened-One]

There’s an awful lot of YouTube videos of Teofimo Lopez either actually sparring or discussing his sparring sessions against the likes of Gervonta Davis, Yordenis Ugas, Jaron Ennis, Rolando Romero, Janelson Figueroa, Ashley Theophane and Devin Haney.

Could he better than his record and recent performances inside the ring suggest? Perhaps he’s able to raise his game to a level where he’s actually capable of competing against Vasyl Lomachenko.

Some fighters, such as Tyson Fury, tend to compete according to the calibre of opposition they face. The bigger the challenge, the better they perform. We’ll find out soon enough whether this rule also applies to Lopez. The calibre of the guys he’s sparring against suggest that we haven’t seen the very best of him yet and that he's more experienced than his resume portrays him to be.

Also, I’m not entirely sure whether 135lbs is Vasyl Lomachenko’s ideal weight class, because he’s looked better and far more dominant when he competed in the 126lbs to 130lbs divisions.

Anyway, I’m going to predict a tougher than expected decision victory for Vasyl Lomachenko against the 22-year-old prospect.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Teofimo Lopez: Lomachenko team ‘annoying’ in fight negotiations

"We were waiting, particularly on Loma and his team for the fight," he told ESPN on Thursday afternoon. "I think he was being mad difficult with certain things, negotiation-wise. He wanted a bigger cut, he wanted a bigger percentage, such and such."

Lopez continued: "So it was pretty much going back and forth, now this happened, and apparently they sent Loma back to Ukraine, back home. So I don't know, honestly, I'm just frustrated about all this and about how he handled things and how he's doing things."

"I try to make these fights happen for the fans, the fans are the ones that win at the end of the day. But honestly, we're not going to wait on this guy," the native of Brooklyn, New York, said. "We gave him everything he needs and everything he wants and now he's complaining about New York, he wants it in Vegas, he wants it in Cali. It's been annoying."

Egis Klimas, who represents Lomachenko, confirmed that his client was in Oxnard, California, from March 7 to March 16 before going back home: "He's working out and preparing for whatever is going to happen. We're waiting for a deal."

Lopez, 22, is quickly growing out of the lightweight division, and he's made it clear that his days at 135 pounds are numbered.

"I'm not going to just be there like a sitting duck and just wait on this man," he said. "Obviously, I've been saying for a while now that I want to move up to 140 -- and that is still on my mind. The only thing keeping that from happening and existing is the Loma fight. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't occur, it's not on me. It's just difficult at times like this because of how things play out and how things are."

But Klimas insisted, "I think everything is agreed to on our side, we were just waiting on a venue."

The manager admitted he was very disgruntled by the scorecards handed in against Vladimir Nikitin when he faced Michael Conlan at the Garden on the same night Lopez won his title, and vowed in the immediate aftermath to never bring another boxer to New York. He has since changed his tune.

"We can fight [Lopez] in his bedroom," said Klimas, who made it clear that the reason why Lomachenko flew into the United States at the beginning of March was to begin preparing for May 30.

For now, both Lomachenko and Lopez are like every other boxer, sidelined and awaiting word on when they can resume their careers.

"I figured when they canceled March 14th for Shakur Stevenson, and they canceled March 17th for Mick Conlan, that's when I knew, I was like, 'I'm next. We're pretty sure, we're next,''' Lopez said in regard to his date. "And we're not canceled but we're pretty much just postponed 'til further notice."

"This coronavirus thing screwed a lot of things up, not just in boxing, but NBA, every sport, and in general, everywhere. So this is something very serious, obviously, and hopefully things get better."

Bob Arum, who promotes both boxers, said he really has no updates at this moment.

"I mean, I'm not a genius, there are no answers because I'm not going to bulls--- anybody," Arum said. "There are no answers because I don't know. I'm not going to make stuff up to make people happy."

Top Rank, like every other promotional outfit in the sport, has been forced to wipe clean a whole slate of fights that will eventually have to be rescheduled.

"If we start planning for June, who know if there's going to be a June? What do we do with May? We don't know," Arum said. "So to plan and tell guys to start preparing like you're going to fight in May, that's counterproductive because we don't know."

Arum added, "We are a little cog in this whole wheel, that if the NBA doesn't know, if Major League Baseball doesn't know, how the hell do we know?"

When things do resume, Lopez is anxious to get his career back up and running.

"This is 2020, and I haven't fought yet, and we're already in March -- and I fought in December," Lopez said. "I'm trying to fight at least a good two, three times this year, and who knows how long this virus is going to last, and how long this situation is going to last and push us back?

"All this stuff, honestly, let's just see, the whole thing now, you really can't do much at times like this. It's unpredictable. You have to really just sit and wait."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, who promotes lightweight champions Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez, could potentially match his boxers on a date in September at Las Vegas' new Allegiant Stadium - home to the NFL's Raiders.

Arum aims to bring the fight to the massive facility with a small crowd. The venue can hold 65,000 fans.

For monetary reasons, the fight will be difficult to stage without an audience.

Arum is hoping that the current restrictions on live audiences, due to the coronavirus pandemic, are eased up enough to run a big event with a limited number of live fans.

"A big fight, we're hoping to do it in September with a limited audience," Arum told Sky Sports.

"We're talking to the new American football team, the Las Vegas Raiders, who have a beautiful new $1.8 billion stadium. They're talking to us about doing this fight in their stadium in September for maybe 10,000 people spread out. Everybody is working to get these things done. We can't talk definitely until we have satisfied all the regulatory bodies.

"The Nevada commission is way ahead of everybody in terms of moving forwards."

[Cent0089]

I cannot wait for this 50 - 50 fight. Undisputed championship, oh man.

[Thomastearns]

I cannot wait for this 50 - 50 fight. Undisputed championship, oh man.

Me too. But I'd have it 60/40 Lomachenko.
The man's a boxing genius.

[Cent0089]

I cannot wait for this 50 - 50 fight. Undisputed championship, oh man.

Me too. But I'd have it 60/40 Lomachenko.
The man's a boxing genius.

He is but Teofimo is a freakin animal, and Vasyls boxing style is dependant on reflexes. Will the reflexes be 100% at age of 32 and after one year out of the ring? Lomachenko is one of my favorite fighters but this fight will reveal if he is special IMO.

[Thomastearns]

Me too. But I'd have it 60/40 Lomachenko.
The man's a boxing genius.

He is but Teofimo is a freakin animal, and Vasyls boxing style is dependant on reflexes. Will the reflexes be 100% at age of 32 and after one year out of the ring? Lomachenko is one of my favorite fighters but this fight will reveal if he is special IMO.

Well, I'd say Lomachenko is already proven pretty special. Maybe the best combined record in boxing history already, certainly in modern times.

The big question is just how good Lopez is. He's passed every test so far but this will be his biggest - by far. As you say Lomachenko is 32 and the temptation must be huge for Lopez, with time on his side, to wait for as long as possible.

Most boxing fans though will be hoping he doesn't. This will be the standout megafight of the year (unless Fury v Wilder is a lot more competitive this time).

Maybe this is the megafight of the year. All this warm up business that so many others are talking about makes it sound like the big fights are now pushed back to 2021. If even then!

So huge credit to both Vasyl and Teofimo if this goes ahead.

[Cent0089]

He is but Teofimo is a freakin animal, and Vasyls boxing style is dependant on reflexes. Will the reflexes be 100% at age of 32 and after one year out of the ring? Lomachenko is one of my favorite fighters but this fight will reveal if he is special IMO.

Well, I'd say Lomachenko is already proven pretty special. Maybe the best combined record in boxing history already, certainly in modern times.

Hmm i dont know man. While Russell, Walters, Linares and RIgondeaux are very good wins, he need to do more to be considered special for me. Lopez, Davis, Berchelt, Haney. If he can face at least 2 of these 4 (and defeat them) i will consider Loma special. All 4 guys are serious threat. His amateur resume of course is different thing. He was beasting there

[margaret thatcher]

Teo wins

[Ruthless-RKO]

Boxing: Lomachenko-Lopez gets new date, set for September 19

The long-awaited lightweight showdown between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez Jr. is now scheduled to take place on September 19, ESPN reports.

Bob Arum, a boxing promoter who represents both fighters, stated that neither of them wanted an interim fight prior to the unification clash.

"In talking with Lomachenko and Lopez, neither of them want an interim fight. So we would plan to do that in September, with or without an audience," he noted.

Lomachenko's side, in its turn, not concerned about fighting with no audience.

"Nothing matters. As long as Lopez is coming in the ring with Lomachenko," Egis Klimas, Lomachenko's manager, said.

As we reported earlier, Las Vegas' new Allegiant Stadium is expected to host the bout between Lomachenko and Lopez Jr.

"We are talking to the new American football team, the Las Vegas Raiders, who have a beautiful new $1.8 billion stadium. They are talking to us about doing this fight in their stadium in September for maybe 10,000 people spread out. Everybody is working to get these things done. We cannot talk definitely until we have satisfied all the regulatory bodies," Top Rank chief Bob Arum noted.

[bobcatbox]

Boxing: Lomachenko-Lopez gets new date, set for September 19

The long-awaited lightweight showdown between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez Jr. is now scheduled to take place on September 19, ESPN reports.

Bob Arum, a boxing promoter who represents both fighters, stated that neither of them wanted an interim fight prior to the unification clash.

"In talking with Lomachenko and Lopez, neither of them want an interim fight. So we would plan to do that in September, with or without an audience," he noted.

Lomachenko's side, in its turn, not concerned about fighting with no audience.

"Nothing matters. As long as Lopez is coming in the ring with Lomachenko," Egis Klimas, Lomachenko's manager, said.

As we reported earlier, Las Vegas' new Allegiant Stadium is expected to host the bout between Lomachenko and Lopez Jr.

"We are talking to the new American football team, the Las Vegas Raiders, who have a beautiful new $1.8 billion stadium. They are talking to us about doing this fight in their stadium in September for maybe 10,000 people spread out. Everybody is working to get these things done. We cannot talk definitely until we have satisfied all the regulatory bodies," Top Rank chief Bob Arum noted.

Picturing in my mind 10,000 spread out people.. should be a fun fight regardless of whether it’s in a studio or not. Great job, Bob, getting us good fights in this pandemic.

[Iseah100]

This will be an interesting match up. Loma's style seems suited to beat Teo who can be flat footed at times. I think Loma has enough pop to keep Teo honest. He also will have some personal stake in it with all the shit Teo has been talking. Loma wins 116-112.

[margaret thatcher]

Teo wins

[Ruthless-RKO]

Lomachenko vs. Lopez Now Targeted For October 3, Says Arum

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.

Lomachenko-Lopez, which was at first penciled in for May 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York but forced to move to Sept. 19 at a site to be determined due to the coronavirus pandemic, is moving again.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum told BS.com on Wednesday that the new date will be Oct. 3.

“Loma-Lopez, we had scheduled it for Sept. 19 as the working date but now it will probably go on pay-per-view and that means the working date now is Oct. 3,” Arum said of a fight he hopes to hold in Las Vegas although whether there will be spectators allowed to attend is undetermined.

“Right now, with the (coronavirus) spike going on Nevada we couldn’t schedule it even with limited spectators,” Arum said. “Hopefully, and we have some time, we’re looking to do that fight for 2,000 or maybe 2,500 people.”

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs), who many regard as the No. 1 boxer in the world pound for pound, and Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) have turned down the opportunities to have interim bouts because they only want to fight each other next. Lomachenko, in fact, began his training camp this week in his native Ukraine.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Arum: Lomachenko-Lopez Could Air On ESPN, Not Necessarily Pay-Per-View

Something positive potentially could happen for cost-conscious boxing fans in this constantly changing, COVID-19 world.

Promoter Bob Arum has informed BS.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.

It is also possible that Lomachenko-Lopez could be offered on ESPN+, the network’s $5-per-month streaming service. If Lomachenko-Lopez headlines a pay-per-view show, it likely would cost at least $75 to watch in HD.

Arum added that negotiations are ongoing with representatives for Lomachenko and Lopez to finalize their contracts. He is optimistic that they’ll come to an agreement soon and officially announce their 12-round, 135-pound championship match.

“We’re going October 3rd,” Arum told Boxing Scene. “We’re negotiating the purses with Teofimo and with Lomachenko. We’re making progress, and hopefully we’ll get it agreed to soon. ESPN is gonna do it. I don’t know whether they’ll do it on linear or pay-per-view, but that’s up to them.”

Arum explained why it remains feasible for ESPN to televise Lomachenko-Lopez on a popular cable channel that is available in roughly 86 million American homes.

“It’s an expensive fight,” Arum said, “but if college football goes away [due to COVID-19], instead of showing a big football game, say a Michigan-Ohio State game, for example, if we do Lomachenko-Lopez and put two title fights with it, that’s a big, tentpole event that could be a good substitute for a big college football game on ESPN.”

Arum’s company, Top Rank Inc., is scheduled to produce live boxing for ESPN every Saturday night in September. ESPN also will televise Top Rank cards the last two Saturday nights in August (August 22 and August 29).

The company could provide more live content for ESPN if the college football season and/or Major League Baseball’s schedule is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

If Lomachenko-Lopez doesn’t air live on ESPN, it could be one of at least four boxing pay-per-view events in the final three-plus months of this year.

Showtime has already announced two pay-per-view cards for September 26 and October 24.

Jermall Charlo-Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Jermell Charlo-Jeison Rosario will co-headline Showtime’s September 26 event from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Gervonta Davis-Leo Santa Cruz is the main event of its pay-per-view show October 24 at a site to be determined.

FOX is expected to announce at least one pay-per-view show for this fall, reportedly Errol Spence Jr.-Danny Garcia, later this week.

Ukraine’s Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) and Brooklyn’s Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) were supposed to meet May 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Contracts for their 12-round fight for the 32-year-old Lomachenko’s WBA and WBO lightweight titles and the 22-year-old Lopez’s IBF belt weren’t finalized, however, when the coronavirus crisis temporarily shut down the boxing business in the middle of March.

Arum later offered Lomachenko and Lopez tune-up fights in June and July, respectively. Both boxers turned down those opportunities because they want to fight each other next.

[NateJR]

I think Loma wins, but hope Lopez knocks him out.

[margaret thatcher]

I think Loma wins, but hope Lopez knocks him out.

Don't worry, this American stud Teo will at the very least beat up Loma and win

[Onetimeonly]

Good to see loma take on a challenge for a change.

[Cent0089]

I understand this fight is still not official??

[H8Usernames]

After reading cocksucking from the Lomachenko fans for years with the fellow not acctually doing anything special or fighting anyone we get to see him in a real fight? That's good news, question is will it be his one and only?

[margaret thatcher]

Apparently Teo wants some more money, they were only paying him like 1m

Loma was getting something like 3.5m

[Cent0089]

Apparently Teo wants some more money, they were only paying him like 1m

Loma was getting something like 3.5m

1,2 for Lopez , 3.25 for Lomachenko. I am going to be really pissed if this fight not going to happen

[margaret thatcher]

Teo should take it and then beat down Loma, and then get paid more in the future