Teofimo Lopez looked ahead to his 2021 schedule to namecheck Devin Haney as just one of his planned opponents for the year.
After starting off as the underdog ahead of his fight with Vasyl Lomachenko in 2020, Lopez is now the pre-eminent fighter in his division. The American fighter has already noticed a change in those around him.
“I get that respect. People tell me I'm a bad man,” he said in an interview with ESPN.
With Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia & Gervonta "Tank" Davis, there is no shortage of young talent in the lightweight division, & Lopez is keen to make serious fights rather than avoid the main contenders.
“You got to take risks,” he explained.
“If you believe in yourself, you got to go for it. And look what happened: I became undisputed world champ at 23 years old; that motivated & pushed all the other fighters in that new generation. We're paving the way: The 0 & that stuff doesn't matter; it's all about making fights for the fans.”
Asked for his plans for the year, the 23-year-old champion listed the big names as his targets.
“Devin Haney first. Then Garcia or Tank, probably at 140,” he began.
“And Josh Taylor-Jose Ramirez winner at 140. The winner of that fight becomes undisputed at that weight division, and I'm trying to go back-to-back [being undisputed] at 135 and 140. It's never been done before, & that's what I love. I love doing things that have never been done before.”
Despite planning Haney as his next fight, Lopez acknowledged that he would honor the mandatory challenge from the IBF nominee George Kambosos Jr.
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Source: DAZN
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