Teofimo Lopez has decided not to fight Devin Haney in Saudi Arabia this August. The WBO super-lightweight champion shared his reasons for pulling out of the planned 145lb catchweight bout.
Lopez told FightHype that contract issues were a big part of his decision.
"They broke a lot of contracts … I don't believe that Haney deserves the acknowledge to come back like this. After a s**t performance like that, get a good win and let's clear it up."
The champion also felt the Middle East location didn't make sense for him or the fans.
"There is no reason for me to go all the way to the Middle East, and it's poor for everybody else that we build this fight in the US. As a business analyst on that part. I only have promotional fees to pay Top Rank but I can go anywhere."
Lopez got a red flag when the fight was announced before he'd signed the contract. He felt the whole thing was set up to benefit Haney more than him.
"I don't believe this move was for me, I believe it was mainly for the Haneys. They published it while I was reading the contract, that right there gave me a red flag. Why would I duck a guy that doesn't punch. That is literally shot. I just looked at it as a set-up."
With the Haney fight off the table, Lopez is looking at other options. He mentioned potential fights with Gervonta 'Tank' Davis and Jaron 'Boots' Ennis as possibilities.
The cancellation leaves both fighters searching for new opponents. Haney, a former undisputed lightweight champion who also held a world title at 140lbs, will need to regroup and find a different path forward.
Keith Connolly, Lopez's co-manager, backed up his fighter's decision. For now, fans will have to wait to see these two big names in the ring together.
