Once seen as a natural showdown between two of boxing’s most talked-about young champions, the potential clash between Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez promised legacy, drama, and lucrative headlines. After his win over Jose Ramirez last month, Haney had his eyes firmly set on Lopez. According to Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger, both camps had verbally agreed to a 145 lbs catchweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, scheduled for August 16.

Things unraveled, however, when Lopez’s co-manager Keith Connolly told ESPN that ‘The Takeover’ wasn’t prepared mentally or physically for an August fight: “August was just too quick of a turnaround,” he admitted. In contrast, Haney insisted the deal was signed on his end. Furious, he labeled Lopez “the biggest duck”—claiming Lopez “wasted everybody’s time” after failing to sign the contract.

In a surprising twist, Teofimo Lopez has broken his silence following the collapse of a much-hyped fight with Devin Haney. And he’s made it crystal clear: “I want to return to the Boxing ring in September/October and again in December/January. #MakeBoxingGreatAgain.”

He’s hinting at a return bigger and better, and the boxing world is bracing for the next move. Will it be a clash with someone like Jaron Ennis? Or is there another, more suitable name floating out there?

Teofimo Lopez may face his stylistic nightmare after burning bridges

It wasn’t long ago that Teofimo Lopez was asking for marquee matchups with the likes of Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Devin Haney. But after both negotiations collapsed, Lopez may have inadvertently boxed himself into a corner. As analyst Dan Canobbio put it bluntly in a recent segment on Inside Boxing Live, “Teofimo has put himself in a really bad position with Riyadh and some of the other fights that are available to him. So, kind of burning those bridges, not leaving a lot of other opportunities.”

And the door that might now be open? One the WBO super lightweight champion may not want to walk through. Enter Richardson Hitchins, an undefeated, rangy sharpshooter who is coming off a statement win on June 14. Fighting at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Brooklyn-born Hitchins (20–0, 8 KOs) outclassed former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr., stopping him in the eighth round of their IBF super lightweight title bout. With a piston jab, slick footwork, and supreme control of distance, Hitchins showcased precisely why he’s being called a stylistic nightmare.

“Guess what, Richardson Hitchins might be the guy you get,” Canobbio warned. “And it’s not gonna pay you what you wanted. But it’s a really dangerous fight… now he’s gonna be stuck with this 5 foot 10, 74 inch reach jabbing machine for 12 rounds.” While Hitchins may not offer the star power of a Haney or a Boots, the danger factor is undeniable—and the reward, financially speaking, less enticing.

Hitchins, for his part, is more than game. Speaking after his latest win, he told Fight Hub TV, “Teofimo Lopez. I think Teofimo Lopez. I ain’t gonna lie, either one of them is a big fight.” He continued, “With both of us, it would go for a great buildup. We could both fight. We both young, in our prime… I think that’s a big fight.” Whether Lopez takes that unification challenge or not could say as much about his ambition as it does his current standing in boxing’s political chessboard.