Looking like a dark and creepy vampire at the Ring Awards on Saturday, Teofimo Lopez says he chose not to fight Subriel Matias because he didn't want to be “stool step” To help the recently defeated IBF light welterweight champion.
He says Mattias wasn't going to win the fight, and he didn't feel like he would gain anything by helping the former champion rebuild. Although Te'o had help rebuilding after his loss, he saw no benefit in helping someone else in the same situation he was in in 2021.
Furthermore, Lopez (21-1, 13 KO) says he wants “Greater guarantee” After Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said the fight wasn't worthy of a PPV. It's not clear what kind of money Teofimo, 27, was looking to get from Top Rank as his “insurance”, but no deal was reached.
Teofimo now sits on the shelf without a fight, having already been out of the ring for seven months since his tougher-than-expected win over Steve Claggett on June 29 last year.
Lopez says Matias was the only option Top Rank gave him. It wasn't “multiple options,” and he says he “put his foot down” because he was tired of the “take-it-or-leave-it” battles he was presented with.
“I feel like it's time for me to get bigger and better fights. Matias is trying to make up for his loss to Liam Barrow in his home country,” Teofimo Lopez said. Combat Center TV On why he refused to fight Subriel Matias. “I think that by doing this, why would I be a stool for this man?
“He's not going to win. Of course not. Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank, stated that the fight is not worth the pay-per-view. I agree. Bob Arum, Chairman of the Board of Directors, stated that. And whoever was involved in this situation, they really wanted the pressure from Yes PPV.
“I said if that's the case, I need insurance. “Give me a bigger guarantee, and then we can start talking about getting into the fight. I'm ready to fight now. Things didn't go out of their way. They dropped it. “They said I participated in the fight in bad faith, but in reality, they only gave us one option,” Lopez said.
In hindsight, Teofimo made the right decision not to take the fight with Matias (21-2, 21 KO) because there was a high probability that he would lose to him. Matias will pull off Lopez's fighting style, which is on another level for George Kambosos Jr., who has proven to be Teo's kryptonite.
New Yorker Lopez can't handle pressure fighters. We saw it against Kambosos, Jamin Ortiz, and in the later rounds of his 2020 upset win over Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020.
“There weren't multiple options for fighters, and they didn't want to team up,” Teofimo said of Top Rank. “They didn't want to pay a certain amount of dollars to certain fighters. I just don't understand. It's like it's a bullet in my face. I'll take it that way as my opinion as my market.
It's understandable why Top Rank wouldn't pay an arm and a leg to set up a unification fight for Teofimo against one of the other champions because it wouldn't be a PPV. He's not popular enough, and the other 140 heroes aren't big names.
Light welterweight champions
– Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela
-Richardson Hitchens
-Alberto Puello
“You have to think of it as a business perspective, and I'm coming into this year,” Teofimo said. “Wouldn't you rather watch it on live television open to the public than watch it the first year I'm back in 2025, doing a PPV? Why would I accuse you guys? You guys are there to watch us. It should be free. ESPN and the network, they still get their cut, And so do we. Let's leave it open to everyone.
“I just put my foot down. I've been doing take-it-or-leave-it fights for you guys (First Rank), and I can't do it anymore,” Lopez said.
