Rising lightweight star Teofimo Lopez could be one fight away from a world title shot, as he's going to face unbeaten Masayoshi Nakatani in the main event of a Top Rank card from the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti confirmed the information to Yahoo Sports.
Lopez was in action last month on the pay-per-view undercard to Terence Crawford vs. Amir Khan at Madison Square Garden in New York City. As the co-featured attraction of the card, he battered and stopped Edis Tatli.
Lopez (13-0, 11 KOs) is ranked at #4 by the IBF, while Nakatani (18-0, 12 KOs) is at #3. The rating position for number 1 and 2 are both vacant.
Top Rank, who promote Lopez, would like to get him in a mandatory position to collide with IBF lightweight champion Richard Commey.
Last edited by Ruthless-RKO on 18 Jul 2019, 06:29, edited 1 time in total.
Multiple sources have advised BS.com that a super featherweight crossroads bout pitting former champion Jason Sosa (22-3-4) of New Jersey against Erick De Leon (19-0-1) is also finalized to appear on the televised portion of the card. Sosa's promoter Russell Peltz also confirmed that a deal had been reached.
Teofimo Lopez is one win away from a shot at fulfilling his world title destiny. Standing in his way is fellow unbeaten Masayoshi Nakatani, who is intent on spoiling his plans.
Lopez and Nakatani will lock horns in a 12-round IBF lightweight world title eliminator Friday, July 19 at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The Lopez-Nakatani winner will be the mandatory challenger for the victor of the June 28 ESPN-televised bout between IBF champion Richard Commey and Ray Beltran.
In the highly anticipated chief support bout — also a battle of unbeatens — Maxim “Mad Max” Dadashev will take on Puerto Rican puncher Subriel Matias in a 12-round IBF junior welterweight world title eliminator for the belt currently held by Josh Taylor.
Lopez-Nakatani and Dadashev-Matias will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The combatants in this special doubleheader have a combined 57-0 record with 47 knockouts.
The undercard, including the 10-round super featherweight contest between the unbeaten Erick De Leon and former world champion Jason Sosa, will stream on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
Promoted by Top Rank, tickets for this world championship event priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25 (not including applicable fees) go on sale Friday, June 7 at 10 a.m. ET and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or in person at the MGM National Harbor.
“I’m excited to come back, especially for my first headlining bout, one of many to come,” Lopez said. “After Nakatani, you will see me face the winner of Richard Commey and Ray Beltran. If you think you’ve seen it all, you haven’t. My goal is to be a worldwide star, and Nakatani is not going to stop me. Expect another badass knockout, and rest assured, I have something special planned for the celebration. For this fight, we’re doing a nine-week training camp, and I am going to be in the best shape of my career.
“The Takeover is coming July 19 to MGM National Harbor!”
“This fight is just a stop on the way to becoming world champion,” Nakatani said. “I hope all boxing fans in Japan and around the world will enjoy what I bring to the table.”
Lopez (13-0, 11 KOs), ranked No. 4 by the IBF, was born in Brooklyn, raised in Florida, and represented his parents’ native Honduras at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The 21-year-old’s rise up the professional ranks has been meteoric, as he made his debut on a Manny Pacquiao undercard in November 2016 and was the consensus 2018 Prospect of the Year. In 2019, he’s graduated to contender status. He knocked out former world title challenger Diego Magdaleno in seven brutal rounds Feb. 2 in Frisco, Texas. Lopez returned April 20 as the pay-per-view co-feature to the Terence Crawford-Amir Khan bout at Madison Square Garden. He thrilled the hometown fans, knocking out two-time European lightweight champion Edis Tatli in five rounds.
Nakatani (18-0, 12 KOs), from Osaka, Japan, is ranked No. 3 by the IBF and has gone the 12-round distance five times. He has held the OBPF lightweight title since 2014 and has made 11 successful defenses of that belt. Nakatani has won four in a row via knockout, and against Lopez, he will be making his first ring appearance outside of Japan.
Dadashev (13-0, 11 KOs) is a three-year pro who has made a seamless transition to the pro game. A former amateur standout for his native Russia, he won a reported 281 bouts in the unpaid ranks before turning pro under the guidance of famed manager Egis Klimas. Dadashev holds victories over former world champions Antonio DeMarco and Darleys Perez and has won nine of his last ten by knockout. He made his 2019 debut March 23 in Costa Mesa, California, knocking out Ricky Sismundo in four rounds. Matias (13-0, 13 KOs), a southpaw from Fajardo, Puerto Rico, has blown through his competition with ease, as seven of his fights have ended in the first or second round. He made his American debut last October in New Orleans, blowing away former two-division world title challenger Fernando Saucedo in one round.
“It doesn’t matter who I fight or where I fight. I am looking forward to the opportunity in front of me,” Dadashev said. “Matias is a dangerous fighter, but I am ready for whatever he brings. I have fought every kind of style as an amateur and a professional, and all of my experiences have led me to this fight.”
Sosa (22-3-4, 15 KOs), from Camden, New Jersey, upset Javier Fortuna in June 2016 to win the WBA world super featherweight title. He made one successful title before relinquishing his belt to pound-for-pound great Vasiliy Lomachenko. Sosa has won a pair of fights since a controversial decision loss to Yuriorkis Gamboa and knows that a win over De Leon (19-0-1, 11 KOs) will move him closer to another crack at the brass ring.
De Leon, a Detroit product, was a top U.S. amateur who won three consecutive National Golden Gloves championships (2009-11). He turned away Adrian Yung via unanimous decision last July in New Orleans, winning despite injuring his right shoulder in the opening round. De Leon returned to action March 23 in Costa Mesa, California, knocking out Jose Luis Gallegos in seven rounds.
Teofimo Lopez Hires Nutritionist, With an Eye on Loma Fight
Rising lightweight contender Teofimo Lopez was on hand for the Tyson Fury-Tom Schwarz final press conference.
The 21-year-old will return to the ring on July 19rh against Masayoshi Nakatani. The winner of the fight will become the IBF lightweight mandatory challenger.
“The dude is 18-0 with 12 knockouts. He’s from Japan. If we really want to weigh it down he’s #1 and I am #2 with the IBF because he’s #3 and I’m #4 and they don't have #1 and #2 rated so this is the IBF title eliminator and after that we get the winner of (Richard)Commey- (Ray) Beltran,” said Lopez.
Commey will fight Beltran on June 28th in a ESPN televised main event.
Lopez has stated on multiple occasions that he wants to fight WBA/WBO lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko but has cautioned that if the fight doesn’t happen this year it may not happen because it is getting increasingly difficult for him to make weight.
To help in that department, the 2016 Olympian has enlisted the services of a nutritionist.
“They just came in yesterday. We are actually going to have a full schedule of what to do and what to eat. They study everything and work on perfecting athletes. They study our body and make sure we have the right things. There might be hiccups here and there but they make adjustments and fix it,” Lopez explained.
Lopez is extremely hopeful that he will be able to make weight more comfortably and deliver the fight against Lomachenko that so many fans want to see.
“Right now my main thing is to see how my body reacts to it and be disciplined and see if we can keep maintaining my weight to make the Loma fight happen because they want to make it next year for all the belts. That being said if my body doesn’t react right then I am still moving up to 140 whether it is after Loma or before the Loma fight,” Lopez told BS.com.
Lopez is probably projected to be the next big thing so i don’t expect TR to put him in against a legitimate threat. In the meanwhile lopez’s mouth should stop writing checks his ass can’t cash such as wanting Loma and all the other top fighters around his division
Luckybattles wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 00:37
Lopez is probably projected to be the next big thing so i don’t expect TR to put him in against a legitimate threat. In the meanwhile lopez’s mouth should stop writing checks his ass can’t cash such as wanting Loma and all the other top fighters around his division
Nothing wrong with being colorful and confident.
We won't know what his ass can or can't cash until he's in with those top guys.
Maybe Lopez will run over the upper tier fighters as easily as he runs his mouth. Let's wait and see.
Actually outside of Lomachenko, there doesn't appear to be any world beaters at 135. Lopez may very well back up his mouth with one win after another.
Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑13 Jun 2019, 10:56Teofimo Lopez Hires Nutritionist, With an Eye on Loma Fight
Rising lightweight contender Teofimo Lopez was on hand for the Tyson Fury-Tom Schwarz final press conference.
The 21-year-old will return to the ring on July 19rh against Masayoshi Nakatani. The winner of the fight will become the IBF lightweight mandatory challenger.
“The dude is 18-0 with 12 knockouts. He’s from Japan. If we really want to weigh it down he’s #1 and I am #2 with the IBF because he’s #3 and I’m #4 and they don't have #1 and #2 rated so this is the IBF title eliminator and after that we get the winner of (Richard)Commey- (Ray) Beltran,” said Lopez.
Commey will fight Beltran on June 28th in a ESPN televised main event.
Lopez has stated on multiple occasions that he wants to fight WBA/WBO lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko but has cautioned that if the fight doesn’t happen this year it may not happen because it is getting increasingly difficult for him to make weight.
To help in that department, the 2016 Olympian has enlisted the services of a nutritionist.
“They just came in yesterday. We are actually going to have a full schedule of what to do and what to eat. They study everything and work on perfecting athletes. They study our body and make sure we have the right things. There might be hiccups here and there but they make adjustments and fix it,” Lopez explained.
Lopez is extremely hopeful that he will be able to make weight more comfortably and deliver the fight against Lomachenko that so many fans want to see.
“Right now my main thing is to see how my body reacts to it and be disciplined and see if we can keep maintaining my weight to make the Loma fight happen because they want to make it next year for all the belts. That being said if my body doesn’t react right then I am still moving up to 140 whether it is after Loma or before the Loma fight,” Lopez told BS.com.
Nakatani, for me, is #2 in Japan in terms of skills. I'd fancy Yoshino to stop him if they fought
Last edited by Boxing Prospect on 19 Jun 2019, 04:23, edited 1 time in total.
SenorPipino wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 10:07
Nothing wrong with being colorful and confident.
We won't know what his ass can or can't cash until he's in with those top guys.
Maybe Lopez will run over the upper tier fighters as easily as he runs his mouth. Let's wait and see.
Actually outside of Lomachenko, there doesn't appear to be any world beaters at 135. Lopez may very well back up his mouth with one win after another.
Yeah. I would like to see him fight the best. I think he has that kind of talent and is fun and refreshing to watch. I would give him a good shot against anyone. Hopefully he doesn’t turn into a pre-Madonna and demands the big fights instead of wasting his career waiting for pacman.
After taking a closer look at Nakatani's record & watching video of him, my prediction has gone from Lopez by KO in 8-10 rounds to Teofimo by KO in 4-5 rounds. Despite holding the OPBF title for 5 years, the caliber of Nakatani's opposition has not been all that impressive.
Best Coast wrote: ↑01 Jul 2019, 03:02
After taking a closer look at Nakatani's record & watching video of him, my prediction has gone from Lopez by KO in 8-10 rounds to Teofimo by KO in 4-5 rounds. Despite holding the OPBF title for 5 years, the caliber of Nakatani's opposition has not been all that impressive.
Best Coast wrote: ↑01 Jul 2019, 03:02
After taking a closer look at Nakatani's record & watching video of him, my prediction has gone from Lopez by KO in 8-10 rounds to Teofimo by KO in 4-5 rounds. Despite holding the OPBF title for 5 years, the caliber of Nakatani's opposition has not been all that impressive.
Better than Lopez'
Beg to differ amigo. Based on video of their most recent fights I'll take Lopez's demolitions of Tatli, Magdaleno & Menard over Makatani's less-convincing stoppages of 25-7 Hurricane Fuda & 5-0-1 Izuki Tomioka.
These videos only confirmed my prediction of Lopez over Nakatani in 4-5 rounds. Time will tell...may the best fighter win!!
