With the coronavirus causing boxing cards to fold left and right, the much anticipated Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez lightweight title bout also appears to be on the cutting block.
The fight, which had a working date of May 30 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, is likely to get postponed. But there are questions as to whether the fight will take place at all even after the pandemic subsides.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Lopez claimed that the Ukrainian had been dragging his feet at the negotiating table for the past few months. Lopez says his side agreed to all the terms; not so with Team Lomachenko.
”We were waiting, particularly on Loma and his team for the fight,” a frustrated Lopez told ESPN. “I think he was being mad difficult with certain things, negotiation-wise. He wanted a bigger cut, he wanted a bigger percentage, such and such.”
Lopez (15-0, 12 KO), a native of Brooklyn who took a piece of the lightweight crown from Richard Commey last December, says Lomachenko even has an issue with the fight’s intended locale.
“We gave him everything he needs and everything he wants, and now he’s complaining about New York. He wants it in Vegas, he wants it in Cali,” Lopez said. “It’s been annoying.
“Honestly, we’re not going to wait on this guy.”
A strapping lightweight, Lopez has long hinted at moving up to 140 pounds in 2020. He wants to unify against Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs), but he also needs to listen to his body.
“I’m not going to just be there like a sitting duck and just wait on this man,” Lopez said. “Obviously, I’ve been saying for a while now that I want to move up to 140, and that is still on my mind. The only thing keeping that from happening and existing is the Loma fight.
“If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t occur, it’s not on me. It’s just difficult at times like this because of how things play out and how things are.”
Indeed, in these times, it’s difficult to plan for anything.
“You really can’t do much at times like this,” Lopez said. “It’s unpredictable. You have to really just sit and wait.”