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Teofimo Lopez, the WBO super lightweight champion, is gearing up for his next bout on June 29 in Miami, where he will square off against Calgary's Steve Claggett.
This fight marks Lopez's return to the ring following his last match against Jamaine Ortiz in February, which failed to impress fans.
Known for his candid nature, Lopez recently expressed frustration on social media about the negotiations leading up to the Claggett fight. However, Top Rank's vice president of operations, Carl Moretti, has downplayed these concerns, emphasizing the challenge of finding a suitable opponent for Lopez.
Moretti highlighted the competitive nature of the 135lbs and 140lbs weight classes, noting the difficulty in arranging fights with prominent names like Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney.
“Everybody was blaming Teofimo but Jamaine Ortiz ran like a track star, he didn’t make the fight, Teofimo came to fight. So that alone, we want guys that are going to try and come right at Teofimo, because that’s what he wants, a fight.
“To the general public, they don’t know Claggett. To people like us, we know how legitimate Claggett is. So that’s why we think it will be an entertaining fight.
“We thought we had it with Jamaine Ortiz, but Ortiz didn’t want to fight. What do you do? You find anyone that will come to him and fight him.”
Garcia's future is uncertain due to two failed drug tests, while Haney is currently focused on his mandatory bout against Sandor Martin. Despite these hurdles, Moretti remains optimistic about Lopez's upcoming matches, aiming to secure opponents who will provide an entertaining fight for fans.