Teofimo Lopez Reveals He Tried to Face Devin Haney Thrice

It remains one of the most piquant conundrums to have hogged the lightweight division. Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney cracked the whip in the 135-pound weight category. The former clipped the highly regarded Vasyl Lomachenko and became the unified champion, albeit briefly. Haney, already a WBC belt holder, continued to defend it successfully.

From a lay fan’s perspective, it would have been a natural stream of thought. Both Lopez and Haney square up and settle the undisputed argument. But reality, as it turned out, was quite different. In 2023, they made a similar move. Joined the light welterweight division. Both closed the year, sitting pretty with glorious victories. Their weight class appears to be witnessing a whip-up. As a result, the old poser seems to have loomed back. They might be chasing separate routes to a bigger payday and legacy. However, the big question about the Lopez-Haney fight continues to arise. In the latest twist to the saga, Teofimo Lopez shared his side of the story, revealing the attempts made to secure a match with Devin Haney.

Teofimo Lopez: Toiled hard, but to no avail!

A few hours ago, his Instagram story laid bare a cryptic message. Teofimo Lopez wrote that he and his team tried reaching out to Devin Haney three times to bring about a fight. “Three times we’ve tried to face Devin Haney,” said ‘The Takeover.’ One by one, he listed out the instances, or perhaps the reasons why the matches never took form. Interestingly, a separate report showcased his previous year’s interaction with a senior official representing Madison Square Garden, mooting a fight with Devin Haney.

So, as he mentioned, during the inaugural attempt, Team Haney purportedly sought a split worth its weight in gold. Lopez said, “Overpriced themselves.” Then the next undertaking tanked since ‘The Dream’ and his team never turned up for the meeting per se: “Didn’t show up to the meeting.” Finally, when they met, Devin Haney seemingly told Teofimo Lopez that he usually holds his conversations with the top brass, those who matter, only. “Devin told me he only talk to Bosses,” wrote Lopez.

As intriguing as they may sound or appear, it’s worth noting that the light welterweight champion’s jottings remain devoid of details such as date and time.

Calling out, and… over

Reportedly, Teofimo Lopez called out Devin Haney after defeating Vasyl Lomachenko. In turn, Devin Haney also tweeted, “Lopez vs. Haney 2021 Let’s do It! #AllTheBelts.”

However, while speaking with ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Bear Degidio on their podcast ‘JAXXON Podcast’, when asked whether he felt like Haney never wanted to fight him, Lopez replied, “I have messages and didn’t want to fight me, but I’m not going to put them out there like that.”

Now, as things stand, ‘The Takeover’ marches ahead to defend his light welterweight titles from Jamaine Ortiz. Devin Haney, on the other hand, seems to be setting his house in order after the recent setback of Ryan Garcia’s switch over to fight Rolando Romero after stoking up the talks on fighting the WBC light welterweight champion. Probably, as most fans would be wishing for, it’s high time they could settle their differences and set up a fight. Then, undoubtedly, it will go down in history as one of the biggest fights of 2024.

Read More: Teofimo Lopez’s Next Fight: Devin Haney Bout Is ‘Agreed’

What’s your take on Teofimo Lopez’s revelations? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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