Jack Catterall has rejected any suggestion that Teofimo Lopez should be allowed to bypass their WBA welterweight title consolidation fight in pursuit of more lucrative opponents.
Lopez defeated Rolando Romero by majority decision on August 22 to capture the WBA “Super” title. Catterall holds the sanctioning body’s secondary belt after beating Shakhram Giyasov in May and is supposed to receive his shot at the primary champion.
“I just want my shot. I’ve never had favors or anything given to me. I just want what’s fair,” Catterall stated in a reply to boxing reporter Steve Kim on X. “Forget me for a minute, if we’re not having mandatory’s across the board everything Zuffa is trying to do will have more and more credibility. No disrespect to Teo and Rolly, but it wasn’t some big sell out. They are not Canelo level stars that warrant special treatment.”
Catterall went directly at the commercial argument that may be used to move him aside. Lopez and Romero headlined at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where many empty seats were visible. Pay-per-view sales have not been released, but the attendance supports Catterall’s point that neither boxer produces the kind of business that would justify Canelo Alvarez-level treatment.
Beating Romero did not suddenly place Lopez in the commercial class of Alvarez. He won a majority decision against a champion who spent long stretches waiting rather than fighting. Lopez may prefer the richest available opponent, but that desire does not entitle him to freeze out a WBA champion who has already earned the consolidation fight.
Teofimo has discussed pursuing unification fights and facing the winner of Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn on September 12. Those options would bring him more money than a defense against Catterall, but financial appeal does not erase the WBA’s responsibility to consolidate its two welterweight titles.
The organization created this arrangement by elevating Romero and placing its secondary belt into the Catterall-Giyasov fight. Allowing Lopez to retain the primary title while ignoring Catterall would leave the WBA defending a duplicate championship system it had promised to resolve.
The WBA cannot present Catterall’s secondary title as meaningful when collecting its sanctioning fee and then discarding it once a more marketable fight becomes available. Having attached a consolidation obligation to that arrangement, the organization now has to enforce it. Otherwise, Catterall’s belt was little more than a temporary fee-generating device.
That is why Catterall’s reference to Zuffa carries more force than an ordinary complaint about being bypassed. Zuffa Boxing is building its product without sanctioning-body belts, and the WBA is supplying the argument for doing so. If its rules disappear whenever a champion sees a larger purse elsewhere, fighters and fans have little reason to treat those rules or titles as essential.
Catterall is not asking for Canelo treatment. He is arguing that Lopez has not earned it either.
Teofimo Lopez Targets Garcia-Benn Winner, Ignores Catterall
A newly won WBA belt has Teofimo Lopez looking directly toward the biggest money at welterweight. Jack Catterall, the secondary WBA champion awaiting a consolidation fight, did not receive a mention among Lopez’s preferred opponents.
After defeating Rolando Romero by majority decision on Saturday night, Lopez named Liam Paro and the winner of Ryan Garcia versus Conor Benn as his leading choices. Devin Haney remains part of his longer plan to collect the remaining welterweight titles.
During his postfight press conference, Lopez said:
“September 12th, right? So, you got Ryan Garcia versus Conor Benn. That’s the next one. We’ll see what happens there. If Conor wins, it’s a great fight to take across the pond. I think I’d rather wait for Devin at the end. So, it’ll either be Liam Paro next or the winner out of Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.”
Describing his remaining three fights with DAZN as a “road to undisputed,” Lopez rejected the idea of taking an ordinary title defense. His choices make financial sense. Garcia, Benn and Haney offer far more attention and money than Catterall, while Paro would give Lopez a chance to add another belt.
The difficulty is that Catterall cannot simply be removed from the WBA picture. He defeated Shakhram Giyasov on May 23 to capture the secondary welterweight title after Romero was elevated to Super champion.
As part of that decision, the WBA required Romero to face the Catterall versus Giyasov winner within 180 days of their fight. The WBA’s original ruling places the end of that period on November 19.
That consolidation obligation presumably passed to Lopez when he took Romero’s Super title. Yet his postfight list suggests he intends to pursue the other champions and larger attractions first, following the same approach Romero used when he faced Lopez rather than immediately settling the WBA situation involving Giyasov and Catterall.
A cut over Lopez’s right eyebrow supplies one possible reason for a delay. Romero opened the wound in the fifth round, and it began bleeding again later in the fight. Lopez’s team may seek a medical extension if the injury prevents him from returning by November 19.
The WBA can also approve a unification against the Garcia versus Benn winner. Such an exception would allow Lopez to carry its more valuable title into a larger event while Catterall retains the secondary belt.
Another option is a lucrative payment for Catterall to wait. At 33, he may find it difficult to reject a substantial offer when the WBA can move the consolidation bout regardless. Any agreement promising him a later fight would still leave him dependent on the next champion honoring it.
A Lopez defeat would not necessarily bring Catterall any closer. The Garcia versus Benn winner would inherit the WBA Super title and may immediately seek another major payday. Catterall’s promised title fight would once again become someone else’s obligation.
Recognizable opponents, additional belts and the largest purses are Lopez’s priorities. Catterall offers less money and a difficult southpaw style, making him the easiest name to omit from the postfight celebration and the hardest WBA obligation to make disappear.
