Is Teofimo Lopez Leaving Top Rank?

Teofimo Lopez has raised doubts over his future with Top Rank after demanding the cost of his buyout clause.
Lopez is one of the most talented fighters in the sport. He has the achievements to back that up. He has victories over Richard Commey, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor. Those victories took him to becoming a two-weight world champion at 135 and 140 pounds. He also was a two-time lineal champion during this period. His only loss has come against George Kambosos Jr.
Despite the resume, Lopez has repeatedly complained about not making the biggest purses. He retired after beating Taylor to become the WBO Junior Welterweight Champion. Teo made it clear he would only come back once he was paid nine figures. That was always unlikely, given that Lopez has shown he cannot sell out in his backyard. The Taylor fight was evidence of that. This was a world title fight against a former undisputed champion. Lopez ultimately came out of retirement without the big paydays.
Lopez’s Demands
“I think the only way you get Teo back is a nine-figure contract deal. Because I’ve made ESPN over a $100 million. I’m still getting paid a million dollars to fight while all these other fighters have not even done a quarter of what I’ve done and accomplished in the sport, they’re getting eight, 10, 12, 15 million dollars. So obviously I’m the black sheep of the industry and they’re really hurting me on that end. I really want to fix the sport of the boxing world and the corruption that’s going on,” Lopez said
Lopez has previously expressed his anger towards his contract situation. That resulted in Bob Arum setting a few facts straight. Arum called out Lopez after saying Teofimo chose to sign a contract extension in 2022 before his fight against Sandor Martin.
Lopez’s Future
“Teofimo sometimes acts like he has a screw loose. I like the kid, but I can’t figure him out, and he makes no logical sense. He signed an extension with us first with the Jose Pedraza fight that didn’t happen, and then when we did another fight with Sandor Martin, he signed the same extension. So it’s there in black and white. I assume he showed the lawyer the first contract and not the second. Dealing with Teofimo is like dealing with Alice in Wonderland,” Arum said
The fight was criticized because Teofimo was not facing a big name at 140. Lopez could have declined the fight and chosen to go in a different direction. Aside from Taylor, who was considered on the decline, he has not faced a big name at 140. Reports indicated he was close to finalizing a deal with Subriel Matias for a fight. But Matias is no longer the IBF champion at 140, meaning he is not the same fighter who was once feared in the division. But since teaming up with Eddy Reynoso, Lopez is ready for a fresh start.

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