Lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez has made a surprising new statement about Vasyl Lomachenko. He has shifted away from criticizing him to giving him the credit he deserves. He even said the rest of the champions fear him.

The two have been hot and cold since their fight in October. Lomachenko has given ‘The Takeover’ credit for his victory, but also questioned his ability. He even went as far as accusing his team of bribery.

Lopez too has made his fair share of comments and has now spoken about the former champion. In conversation with ‘Behind the Gloves’, he said, “He’s achieved a lot throughout his time, you know. Two-time Olympic Gold medalist, three-division world champion… he has a lot of things. I think, a lot of times now they’re not mentioning him because Teofimo beat him.”

The champion also said that as long as Lomachenko remains at 153 lbs, he would beat all the other contenders. He concluded, “If I wasn’t in the mix and we didn’t fight, he would beat those guys in a heartbeat. And I think they all know it. They fear him. They really do. They all fear him”

READ: Teofimo Lopez Gives Timeline for His Next Fight – Reveals Potential Opponents

Why is Teofimo Lopez calling for more respect for Vasyl Lomachenko?

The lightweight division is one of the most exciting right now. Lopez holds most of the belts; however, there are 3 other genuine contenders in Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, and Gervonta Davis.

All 4 are superstars right now and get all the limelight. The drama between themselves only adds to this. However, in all of this, former P4P Lomachenko does not get mentioned at all. Many feel that after his defeat against Lopez, he is finished.

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There have also been calls for him to move back down to featherweight or super-featherweight. However, the fact that he could collect the lightweight belts before the aforementioned four fights is a testament to his skills.

Therefore, it is slightly surprising that any conversation about the lightweight division does not include the Ukrainian. After he recovers from his injury, he could pose an enormous threat to any of the other contenders. Do you think Vasyl Lomachenko is still the big-dog at 135 lbs?