Lopez's Next Fight: Catterall Over Haney Push

Teofimo Lopez will likely wind up facing Jack Catterall rather than landing the marquee fight he wants, according to Bad Left Hook managing editor Scott Christ.

Writing in the site's mailbag column published this week, Christ predicted Lopez would pursue a matchup with Devin Haney but ultimately settle for Catterall. "I think Teofimo will try to make a bigger fight, perhaps with Haney, but he really might wind up doing the Catterall fight," he wrote. Christ added that while the bout would not be a barnburner, Catterall has earned the opportunity through his recent performances.

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What Lopez vs Catterall Would Look Like

The British contender presents a stylistic puzzle for Lopez at welterweight. Christ said he would favour the American by a narrow margin but described the potential matchup as cagey rather than dull if both men perform at their best. Lopez claimed the WBA welterweight title by outpointing Rolando Romero at T-Mobile Arena earlier this month in a low-output affair that saw neither fighter willing to fully engage.

Christ was less optimistic about Romero's future, suggesting the fighter who goes by Rolly might move up to junior middleweight to face Sebastian Fundora. He noted Romero's tentative style makes good fights unlikely against most opponents. "Today's version of Rolly seems unlikely to have good fights with just about anyone," Christ wrote. "He doesn't really want to engage."

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On the state of the welterweight division, Christ said there is no standout natural 147-pounder in boxing right now and questioned whether Lopez could develop into a great fighter at the weight. He dismissed outright any notion of Lopez eventually competing at middleweight. Brian Norman Jr emerged as his answer when asked who currently holds the strongest claim as the best natural welterweight in the sport.

Lopez weighed 146.4 pounds for the Romero fight.

Reported via:

• Bad Left Hook — Boxing Mailbag: Next for Teofimo and Rolly, rigged fights, fantasy matchups, and more