Teofimo Lopez’s petition to pursue a welterweight unification against Ryan Garcia has been rejected by the WBA.
Lopez won the belt at 147lbs with a points decision over Rolando Romero in August, bouncing back from a comprehensive loss to Shakur Stevenson at 140 earlier this year.
WBA ‘Regular’ champion Jack Catterall then looked to enforce his mandatory status for a fight with Lopez, but the American’s team insisted that a unification against Garcia – who won the WBC belt against Mario Barrios in February and defended against Conor Benn in September – should take precedence.
That appeal to the sanctioning body has been heard and rejceted, as today WBA President Gilberto Mendoza announced the decision to reinforce Catterall’s position as mandatory, and gave the parties ten days to negotiate before purse bids are called.
WBA Championships Committee Decision: After reviewing Teofimo López’s request for reconsideration, his mandatory defence against Jack Catterall is upheld. The parties have 10 days to reach an agreement; otherwise, either may request a purse bid.
Catterall won the ‘regular’ title with a win over Shakhram Giyasov in May. The Brit has challenged for world honours once before, losing a highly controversial decision to Josh Taylor in the super-lightweight ranks back in 2022.
While Lopez’s team has hinted that he may consider vacating the belt in order to keep talks with Garcia alive, that decision would reduce the appeal of the fight significantly.
Statements from both teams are expected in the coming days. The WBA’s decision leaves Garcia’s targeted February 6 date up in the air, though he has insisted he will be facing Floyd Mayweather instead.
