IBHOF Elector Brands Teofimo Lopez “Delusional” While Giving Him a Harsh Reality Check About “Self-Inflicted Damage”

Teofimo Lopez might have impressed the world after he won over Josh Taylor this year at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. But his road to global domination has been marred with a plethora of people he didn’t impress. One among them remains the revered boxing promoter, Rick Glaser. He recently came out with a scathing response to an interview Lopez gave in which he outlined the murky future he holds in the boxing realm.

After effectively winning Taylor’s WBO super lightweight title, Lopez shocked the world with his decision to retire. However, his premature retirement was also short-lived. Soon, he came back to the WBO seeking his promotion to a ‘super champion’ status. The boost enables him to undertake defenses that are not mandatory. Such an effort would bring those lucrative deals he’s been chasing in his kitty. However, his recent comments about the same have rubbed some very important folks in the industry the wrong way. One of them is Rick Glaser.

Glaser questions Teofimo Lopez’s Ethics

Glaser, an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) called Lopez a “delusional and clueless” fighter. He questioned his decision to not stick with one promoter but explore other options while already tied to a previous agreement. The promoter counted Lopez among the fighters of this generation, who demand too many lucrative privileges for the fight they undertake. He thinks such demands are unjustified especially since they haven’t aptly proven themselves.

Glaser wrote, “#Teofimo is so delusional, & clueless, has a promotional agreement with #TopRank, but he’s talking to other Promoter’s about fights, that’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.” The response comes after Lopez opened up in a recent conversation with Boxing Social that he is exploring other viable options with different promoters for a lucrative fight.

The fighter is already signed to Bob Arum’s Top Rank. Adding to the criticisms levied against ‘The Takeover’, the promoter referred to him as, “ another fighter that thinks he’s worth a lot more.” He added, “It’s an era of fighters that think they’re worth a lot more. So he sits, & makes zero!!! He’s already turned down a World title defense for December 9. So the self-inflicted damage is already setting in.” 

Lopez was scheduled to fight for Top Rank’s December 9th three-bout contest. However, the company pulled Lopez’s name from the roster later.

Is Lopez Demanding More Than He Deserves?

In response to Glaser’s comments, the Takeover wrote, “WOW!! Thank you, @RealRickGlaser1. You sure Saved me from a massive lawsuit, my guy! I guess I’ll continue my Sanitation job.” His sanitation job comment comes in light of his coming out to speak on the unfair compensation packages fighters receive. Recently, he posted a video of him taking out the trash. With the video, he said that he’d get paid more for taking out the garbage than in the boxing business.

The online exchange of words between the promoter and Lopez comes after the latter vividly spoke about how under-compensated he’s been in the business. In a conversation with Boxing Scene, he said, “I bring too many demands and I don’t get nothin’ back.” In the short conversation, he also revealed he has no plans in place about his next stint in the ring. However, reports have suggested that he will next enter the ring sometime in early 2024. Apart from no lucrative deals coming his way, Lopez also suggested that he stay away from the sport because he wants to spend more time with his infant son.

Also, Read: Teofimo Lopez Reveals Why He Is a “Hall of Famer”

Both Glaser and Lopez have opened up a pandora’s box that leads to a very divisive discourse. While there are promoters who believe that boxing is doing better than ever, fighters have argued that they are not being aptly compensated.

Do you think Lopez is demanding more than he deserves? Let us know in the comments section below.

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