TEOFIMO Lopez and Arnold Barboza Jr engaged in a physical confrontation yesterday in the second stage of a two-part press tour. After meeting in New York last week, the Los Angeles stop ended in flying cowboy hats, a cuff across the face and the usual dose of nonsensical chatter.
The presser was called to promote Ring magazine’s May 2 Pay-Per-View offering in Times Square, New York. Ryan Garcia and Rolando Romero also went back-and-forth. However, it was WBO super-lightweight title holder Lopez and his mandatory challenger, Barboza, who stole the show with their antics.
Barboza travelled to Manchester on February 15 to defeat Jack Catterall in what was effectively an eliminator for the right to take on Lopez. That split decision win earned Barboza the Interim title at 140 pounds.
After trading some fast-paced insults, during which Barboza claimed Teo would be one of his easiest scalps, adding that he would “slap the clown around”, they moved to the face-to-face portion of the event. That was when things got interesting.
Barboza reached over and knocked Teofimo’s cowboy hat off his head, prompting the champion to push him. The first push wasn’t enough for any security presence to intervene and, following a second shove, Barboza got a little too close. Lopez proceeded to slap his rival across the face.
Barboza’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, slid in to split things up as the cameras flashed and audience chattered excitedly. Barboza grabbed and grappled, attempting to get back at Lopez after the fractious exchange. It was the usual fuss and frolics, with promotional temperature successfully raised.
