Teofimo Lopez moving to super-lightweight and Adrien Broner fighting just a week later has opened up the possibility of a future clash.
Lopez, the former lightweight king, faces Pedro Campa on August 13 in Las Vegas. Just a week later in Florida, Broner returns against Omar Figueroa.
Teofimo Lopez vs Adrien Broner
The prospect of a Top Rank vs PBC collision towards the end of the year would be a mouth-watering thought. The fight would also have Pay Per View possibilities.
Right now, Broner knows he has to beat Figueroa. The Cincinnati man is expecting a tough battle.
“I’m going there to try to stop Figueroa,” said Broner. “I’m going to take the fight to him and go ahead and get him out of there.
“What I expect from him is the same gruesome Figueroa that we always see. He’ll try to make it a rough fight.
“Every fighter is different, but I don’t think he’ll be hard to hit. So, I’ll see you all on August 20.”
Take Back
Lopez, who makes his comeback from a loss against George Kambosos Jr., has to maneuver Campa before any notion of Broner can enter the fray.
“I’m thankful to be back on August 13. I’ve been looking forward to this since my last fight,” Lopez said. “I’ve had a lot of complications.
“We’re looking towards the future and are on to bigger and better things. I’m here to take over the 140-pound division just like I did at 135.
“Like always, I’m going to bring excitement to the sport of boxing. The Takeover is still in full effect. You don’t want to miss it.”
Figueroa
Figueroa has his plan to put a spanner in the works of Broner’s title plans at 140. The 32-year-old Figueroa (28-2-1, 19 KOs) is from a fighting family along with his younger brother Brandon, a former super bantamweight world champion.
He won the WBC lightweight belt with a unanimous decision victory over Nihito Arakawa in a 2013 “Fight of the Year.”
Omar successfully defended the title two times before moving up to super-lightweight in 2015.
Figueroa has also fought at welterweight, earning action-packed victories over Robert Guerrero, John Molina Jr., and Antonio DeMarco.
He’ll move back down to super-lightweight on August 20 after back-to-back defeats against Yordenis Ugas and Abel Ramos.
“I’m excited to move on to the next phase of my life and career, especially now that my mental health is at the forefront of everything I do,” said Figueroa.
“Having a clear mind has been the best thing to happen to me. Now I can focus 100% on my boxing career, and I can’t wait to be back in the ring on August 20.”
Let’s see if Broner can make the weight, as the last time he tried, he failed.
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