Vasiliy Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez to fight at MGM Grand
WBO and WBA lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko will fight IBF champion Teofimo Lopez in a unification title fight Oct. 17 inside Top Rank’s bubble at the MGM Grand.
The fight was supposed to happen May 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York, but the coronavirus pandemic forced a postponement.
Lomachenko, 32, is perhaps boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighter. Lopez, 23, is one of boxing’s brightest and most charismatic young stars.
Fights of this caliber are usually reserved for pay-per-view, but the fight will air on ESPN’s flagship station — free of charge — at the network’s insistence, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said.
“(The network) wants it as a real blockbuster equivalent to these big football games,” Arum said. “With Lomachenko, it’s his legacy (at stake), and with Lopez, it’s his chance to become on the biggest level, superstar level of the sport if he can beat Lomachenko. The thing I like about it is that there’s so many different opinions on the fight.”
Two-time gold medalist
Lomachenko (14-1, 10 knockouts) last beat Luke Campbell on Aug. 31, 2019, by unanimous decision. The two-time Olympic gold medalist posted a 396-1 amateur record and has previously held world championships in the featherweight and super featherweight divisions.
“Teofimo Lopez can talk all he wants. He’s very good at talking. He has done nothing but say my name for the past two years,” Lomachenko said in a statement. “I am a fighter, and my goal is to win another world title. Good for Teofimo. When we fight in Las Vegas, he will eat my punches and his words. I will be the better man, and four world titles will come home with me to Ukraine.”
Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) last beat Richard Comney on Dec. 14 by knockout to claim the IBF crown.
“I will beat up Lomachenko and take his belts. Simple as that. I’m coming to Las Vegas to make history,” Lopez said in a statement. “I don’t like the guy, and I’m going to have fun as Lomachenko’s face is beaten and marked up by my hands. The Takeover is here, and the reign of Lomachenko, the little diva, is coming to an end.”
Three other title fights
Both fighters are promoted by Top Rank, which announced three other world title fights for October in Las Vegas.
Emanuel Navarrete (32-1, 28 KOs) and Ruben Villa (18-0, 5 KOs) will fight Oct. 9 for the vacant WBO featherweight championship. WBC and IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) will defend his belts Oct. 23 against Adam Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs). And IBF and WBA bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs) will defend his crowns Oct. 31 against Jason Moloney (21-1, 18 KOs).
Arum said Top Rank is finalizing a fight between WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) and Kell Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) for November.
“We’re back in a place where most of these fights will be premier attractions,” Arum said. “When we’re rolling, ESPN has asked us to start loading up with premier events.”
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.
