A proposed struggle between WBO mild welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez and former undisputed light-weight champion Devin Haney on August 16 has fallen aside in latest days, with Lopez’s administration stating that Lopez won’t be combating for “private causes.”
Preliminary experiences prompt that the struggle was set for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Haney (32-0, 15 KOs) was initially set to face Ryan Garcia in a rematch later this yr after beating Jose Ramirez in Occasions Sq. on Might 2. Nevertheless, between Garcia shedding in an upset to Rolando Romero in the principle occasion and subsequently present process hand surgical procedure, that struggle was off the desk. Lopez, who fought and received on the identical card as Garcia and Haney, initially known as for a struggle with unified welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis regardless of being a weight class beneath him.
Haney refuted that Lopez (22-1) had signed the contract and cited the contracted weight as the difficulty.
“The struggle with Teo will not be signed,” Haney posted on X. “I signed my half and Teo has been stalling. As of immediately, he has determined he would not wanna struggle me. He’s formally the most important [duck]…I needed the struggle at 147 [pounds], he needed the struggle at 140 [pounds]. We negotiated to satisfy at 145 despite the fact that he was prepared to struggle [Jaron] ‘Boots’ [Ennis] at 147.”
Lopez has been silent on the matter however was not too long ago at odds with Saudi Arabia’s Chairman of the Common Leisure Authority and Ring Journal proprietor Turki Alalshikh, who could be the promoter of the struggle. Lopez apologized for a latest tweet barrage, with a number of disparaging remarks concentrating on Alalshikh.
Keith Connolly, Lopez’s co-manager, launched a press release to Ring Journal Thursday explaining why the struggle is not occurring.
“Sadly, Teo will not be combating in August for private causes that I’ll hold confidential,” the assertion learn. “We deliberate on combating however with what was happening he needed to ensure he was 100% proper mentally and bodily and August was simply too fast of a turnaround. I count on Teo to be again later this yr, greater and higher than ever.”
