Teofimo Lopez Vs. Subriel Matias Close For March 15

Teofimo Lopez and Subriel Matias are reportedly close to making a March 15 fight.
Lopez is the WBO Junior Welterweight Champion, a belt he won after beating the former Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor. The Takeover won against Steve Claggett in his previous fight via a unanimous decision to defend the title. His primary target was Terence Crawford. That would require Teo to move up two weight classes to make the fight at 154. However, the fight is unlikely to happen because Crawford has his focus elsewhere.
Bud is chasing a historic fight with Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight. Lopez also called out Gervonta Davis. Davis is scheduled to face Lamont Roach Jr. on March 1. But Tank has said the fight is cancelled, leaving question marks over whether it will go ahead as fans wait for an official announcement. The Takeover also called out Jaron Ennis. Ennis has struggled to make unifications at 147. He also failed to make a Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight at 154. That left Lopez as a possibility.
Teo has a resume that can hold its own. He has beaten Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor to become a two-weight world champion. He is also a two-time lineal champion, showing he is willing to face the best. Lopez is also 27 years old, showing he is at the peak of his powers. But he needs to make more big bouts before he earns more recognition. Bob Arum was aiming to make the Lopez-Ennis fight.
Lopez’s Future
“We’re still pursuing that fight. We’d love that fight to happen. Our people are talking with the Ennis people. We want to do as big a fight as possible for Teofimo after the beginning of the year. If it’s Ennis (who Lopez fights next) the best place for that fight is Madison Square Garden. I like Teofimo because I think he’s a real great talent, but it’s certainly a fight that’ll be close betting odds and create a lot of interest,” Arum said
But now it appears that Matias will get the go-ahead. Matias is the former IBF Junior Welterweight Champion. He lost the belt to Liam Paro in an upset. Paro then suffered a defeat to Richardson Hitchins in his next fight. Meanwhile, Matias recovered from the Paro defeat by beating Roberto Ramirez. Matias is a knockout artist, meaning Lopez would be in for a tough fight. All of Matias’ wins are by way of knockout. Matias and Lopez had previously been linked with a fight. Matias pulled out of any fight negotiations because of a hand injury. The fight was much bigger then since Matias held the IBF title. But Matias maintained his desire to silence Lopez’s camp.
“They’re going to talk about it until they put him in front of me. After they put him in front of me, it’s my job to close his mouth, and that’s it. I’m going to make him quit,” Matias stated
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