Does Teofimo Lopez owe Vasyl Lomachenko a rematch? It’s clear the new lightweight champion feels very strongly that no, he absolutely does not. At least this is the strong impression Lopez gave when speaking with TMZ Sports. The unbeaten 23-year-old, who says he will “take over” the sport of boxing, and has perhaps already begun to do so, insisted he owes Lomachenko nothing.
Lopez put it in much stronger words:
“For what? F**k him,” Lopez said of Lomachenko. “I won fair and square. I not only beat him at his own game but being off for ten months and fighting the guy people said was the best pound for pound. I went up to him [after the fight was over] and I said ‘good fight.’ I grabbed his father and I said ‘safe travels,’ pretty much saying goodbye to them because I knew I won. But he didn’t want to give me back that same gesture. So I was like whatever, I did my part. The fighting’s done. I whooped your ass – you cut me, butted me and shit but it’s fine.”
Lopez might stick around at 135 – where he could fight a number of attractive opponents, such as Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia (if he beats Luke Campbell) or Gervonta Davis (if Tank beats Leo Santa Cruz) – or he may move up to 140. There are a number of great potential match-ups at the higher weight. But whatever Lopez does next it won’t involve Lomachenko.
So is Lopez right to move on without boxing a part-two, or should the new champ grant the old champ a shot at regaining his belts? What say you? The first fight, while good, was not a classic. Is there any real fan demand for a return fight between these two? Sure, a Lopez Vs. Lomachenko II would sell, but would a rematch be any different? Lomachenko says he was injured going into last Saturday’s fight, but Lopez is having none of that.
No, it seems Lomachenko will have to make other plans for when he does return to the ring.