TEOFIMO Lopez is seemingly angling for a summer sizzler against Devin Haney, despite rumours of a potential clash with unified world welterweight champion Jaron Ennis.
According to boxing journalist Dan Rafeal, the two former lightweight kings reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday to collide at a catchweight of 145lbs.
But now, it appears that a string of typically bizarre tweets from Lopez, 22-1 (13 KOs) – most of which directed at boxing paymaster Turki Alalshikh – has cast doubt on his dustup with Haney, 32-0 (15 KOs).
‘The Takeover’ comes off a comfortable unanimous decision victory over Arnold Barboza Jr, successfully retaining his WBO world super-lightweight title in the process.
But since then, a move up to 147lbs has seemed likely for Lopez, who expressed a desire to face IBF and WBA world champion Ennis soon after his last outing.
Equally, Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn, who promotes ‘Boots,’ highlighted the 27-year-old as a possible option for his American star.
In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, though, Haney has now emerged as a mooted dance partner for Lopez, with the pair reportedly having already entered negotiations.
Unlike Lopez, ‘The Dream’ came under fire shortly after his last display, as despite claiming a wide points victory over Jose Ramirez, his largely uninspiring performance did little to whet the appetite of fans.
Nevertheless, the 26-year-old has somehow managed to shoehorn himself into the mix for a potential showdown with his former rival at 135lbs.
Only Lopez, meanwhile, has tested the boundaries with his activity on social media, as his most recent post – depicting a fight poster involving himself and Alalshikh – followed a series of complaints regarding his proposed fight purse.
As a result, Rafael wrote on X yesterday: “Per three sources involved, Teofimo Lopez-Devin Haney was agreed to Tuesday night, but not signed, for [August 16] in Riyadh [Saudi Arabia] at 145[lbs] but [the] fight is now in jeopardy after Teofimo’s tweet storm.”
