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OXON HILL, MD – JULY 19: Teofimo Lopez in his corner after the tenth round of his lightweight IBF World Title Elimination fight against Masayoshi Nakatani (not pictured) at The Theater at MGM National Harbor on July 19, 2019 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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OXON HILL, MD – JULY 19: Teofimo Lopez in his corner after the tenth round of his lightweight IBF World Title Elimination fight against Masayoshi Nakatani (not pictured) at The Theater at MGM National Harbor on July 19, 2019 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Teofimo Lopez seems to have moved ahead from the Vasyl Lomachenko rematch speculations. The pair fought last year, where Lopez secured a controversial win. This stunned the Ukrainian boxing star and countless boxing fans. As a result, everyone kept their fingers crossed to see Lopez and Lomachenko collide once again.
However, the champ has now dismissed this contest and has no interest in facing his rival once again. Instead, he wants even bigger opponents who would offer him a shot at much more accolades.
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In his fresh interaction with Sky Sports, Lopez said, ‘‘He’s fighting my leftovers, trying to redeem himself. It’s cute that everyone thinks he’s going to get me again. We’re past that. We’re looking at bigger and better things, like Josh Taylor. There will be no rematch.”
Teofimo says he is chasing another undisputed crown, not a rematch 👑 #TheTakeover pic.twitter.com/dnL8GxaTRM
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) September 15, 2021
Lopez and Lomachenko fought for the latter’s lightweight title defense in October 2020. Despite not being the favorite, Lopez began the fight well, and halfway through the fight, he had his moments.
To everyone’s surprise, Lomachenko began his attacks a bit late, but when he adopted an oppressive style, he didn’t let Lopez take control of the ring. However, staying on the back foot for the first half of the contest proved to be a turning point for Lomachenko and that’s how he ended up losing that fight via a unanimous decision.
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Despite that, the Ukrainian boxer put on a show in his last fight against Masayoshi Nakatani. With a win in that fight, he put himself back in the title race. Unfortunately, Lopez doesn’t wish to offer him a rematch.
Vasyl Lomachenko rematch – Is it vital for Teofimo Lopez?
Although ‘The Takeover’ wants a shot at Josh Taylor, his rematch with Vasyl Lomachenko still tops the fan charts over any other fight.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 17: In this handout image provided by Top Rank, Vasiliy Lomachenko punches Teofimo Lopez Jr in their Lightweight World Title bout at MGM Grand Las Vegas Conference Center on October 17, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images)
Furthermore, this fight is important for Lopez’s legacy. This is because if he wins a rematch against Lomachenko, there will be no doubts about him being the deserving champion at the lightweight frame.
With that, it’ll be interesting to see what Lopez and his team decide in the coming few months.
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