Teo Lopez Demands Freedom: Will Top Rank Let Him Go?

Teofimo Lopez asked Top Rank for his “buyout” number in a move that suggests he wants to leave his long-standing promoters. He says he wants them to “reply here,” meaning on X. That doesn’t seem likely.

Teo’s Frustration

The WBO light welterweight champion Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) wants to go in another direction for his career because he’s been out in the cold, missing out on all the important PPV fights that have been going on in the last five years,

Leaving Top Rank isn’t going to magically transform Lopez into a pay-per-view attraction or bestow him with talent that isn’t there. I mean, he was beaten by George Kambosos Jr and went through life and death with Jamaine Ortiz, Sandor Martin, Steve Claggett, and Pedro Campa. The talent just isn’t there.

“Hey, @trboxin, What’s my buyout? Just a question 🧐 Also, I’d respect if you reply here & not around the corner! Thank you & have a first blessed Sunday ☀️ of the new year! #Boxing,” said Teofimo Lopez on X.

If Teofimo leaves Top Rank, he can follow the Devin Haney blueprint of being a free agent and looking for the best fights. However, that still wouldn’t guarantee success. If Teo cannot beat the talented fighters at 140 and 147, he will be just as bad off as a free agent as he is now.

The way Lopez has looked in most of his fights in the last five years has shown that he’s missing that spark that is needed for him to become a PPV attraction. He was dropped twice by Sandor Martin, and he clearly deserved a loss in that fight as well as his match against Jamaine Ortiz.