Editor’s note: This article was originally posted on DAZN.com.
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Teofimo Lopez Jr. looks certain to face mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr. in his next fight after saying he won’t give up any of his belts and the Australian has no interest in “step-aside” money.
Lopez holds all four major 135-pound titles after defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko on Oct. 17. Two weeks later, Kambosos rallied late in his fight with Lee Selby to win a decision and become the IBF’s mandatory challenger.
Lopez has said he is interested in facing contenders Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis but his primary goal is to keep his belts.
“The best way to explain it is this: If I don’t fight my mandatory, I gotta give up my IBF belt,” he said on The Ak & Barak Show. “And I just worked my ass off to get these belts. I’m not gonna let none of them go. So I gotta fight my mandatory.
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“Even if we put money on the side and told [Kambosos and his handlers], ‘Hey, we want to do Devin Haney first,’ they ain’t interested. Because even though he’s my IBF mandatory, he knows he gets all the belts if he can beat me.
“He has an opportunity to become undisputed at this division and get the recognition. So no matter how much we could give them to step aside, they would rather take their chance at me to try and get all the belts.”
Of course, it’s likely that Lopez will fight twice in 2021. That could open a door for Haney or Davis later in the year.
“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Lopez said. “As long as Haney keeps winning and actually fights opposition in the Top 10, because he hasn’t yet fought anyone Top 10 in the lightweight division, along with Gervonta Davis as well.
“The only person who has stepped up [against a top contender], who got dropped in the second round and got back up to win, was Ryan Garcia. These guys, they’ve gotta prove something.
“The same way I had to prove myself to be able to fight Lomachenko for all the belts. There ain’t no handouts. I’m not gonna give them things I had to work so hard for.”