Teofimo Lopez became a three-weight world champion on Saturday, defeating Rolando Romero by majority decision to claim the WBA 'Super' welterweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Lopez, who previously held world titles at lightweight and light-welterweight, has now added the welterweight crown to his collection.
Following his victory, Lopez, 29, did not call out the WBA 'Regular' champion Jack Catterall, who is Romero's mandatory challenger. Instead, Lopez expressed interest in facing the winner of the upcoming WBC title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, or potentially unifying with Australia's IBF champion Liam Paro.
"September 12th, right?" Lopez stated, referencing the date of the Garcia-Benn bout. "So, you got Ryan Garcia versus Conor Benn. That's the next one. We'll see what happens there. If Conor wins, it's a great fight to take across the pond [the Atlantic ocean]."
Lopez also mentioned Devin Haney, the WBO champion, as a potential future opponent. "I think I'd rather wait for Devin [Haney] at the end," he said. "So, it'll either be Liam Paro next or the winner out of Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn."
Catterall, who holds the WBA 'Regular' belt, responded to Lopez's comments on X, stating, "Congratulations Teofimo Lopez but I will be taking that belt 100%. Let's Gooo." The WBA may decide to overlook Catterall in favor of a unification bout, which would allow Lopez to pursue other challengers.
