Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez have thrown nasty jabs at one another on social media the past few years. Now, finally, they’ll do it in the ring.
Lomachenko, Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter pound for pound, will face Lopez in a lightweight title-unification bout on Oct, 17 inside the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas on ESPN, Top Rank formally announced on Tuesday.
Four belts will be on the line.
“Teofimo Lopez can talk all he wants,” Lomachenko said. “He’s very good at talking. He has done nothing but say my name for the past two years. I am a fighter, and my goal is to win another world title.
“Good for Teofimo. When we fight in Las Vegas, he will eat my punches and his words. I will be the better man, and four world titles will come home with me to Ukraine.”
Lopez is just as confident as Lomachenko.
“I will beat up Lomachenko and take his belts,” the Honduran-American said. “Simple as that. I’m coming to Las Vegas to make history. I don’t like the guy, and I’m going to have fun as Lomachenko’s face is beaten and marked up by my hands.
“The takeover is here, and the reign of Lomachenko, the little diva, is coming to an end.”
Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) is coming off a decision over Luke Campbell in August of last year. He was declared the WBC’s “franchise” champion shortly after that fight.
Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) scored a sensational second-round knockout of Richard Commey to win a 135-pound title in December and establish himself as a legitimate threat to anyone in the division.
Top Rank also announced four other important fights that will take place in October.
On Oct. 3, Jose Zepeda (32-2, 25 KOs) faces Ivan Baranchyk (20-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round junior welterweight bout at the MGM Grand on ESPN+.
They were scheduled to meet on July but the fight was postponed because Baranchyk suffered an injury. Zepeda ended up outpointing Kendo Castaneda on that date. Zepeda is a two-time title challenger. Baranchyk held a 140-pound belt but lost it to Josh Taylor in May of last year.
On Oct. 9, Emanuel Navarrete (32-1, 28 KOs) faces Ruben Villa (18-0, 5 KOs) for a vacant featherweight world title on ESPN. Navarrete, who fought in six world title bouts in just over 14 months in 2019 and early this year, gave up his 122-pound belt and have moved up in weight. He stopped Uriel Lopez in six rounds on June 20.
On Oct. 23, Russian light heavyweight titleholder Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) will defend his belts against Adam Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs) in Moscow on ESPN. Beterbiev is coming off his impressive title-unification knockout of Oleksandr Gvozdyk last October. Deines has won two in a row since a decision loss to Meng Fanlong.
And on Oct. 31, pound-for-pounder Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs) will defend his bantamweight belts against Jason Moloney (21-1, 18 KOs) at the MGM Grand on ESPN+.
The three-division beltholder from Japan will be fighting in Las Vegas for the first time and making his fourth title defense. He’s coming off a hard-fought unanimous-decision victory over Nonito Donaire in November. Moloney, from Australia, stopped Leonardo Baez on June 25 in the “bubble.”