Ryan Garcia Calls Out Teofimo Lopez, Lopez Fires Back

WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia (26-2, 21 KOs) has challenged WBA titleholder Teofimo Lopez (23-2, 13 KOs) to a December unification fight.

Garcia recently questioned why nobody wants to fight him, then asked Lopez if he’d commit to a December bout. Lopez responded that he had already met with Garcia’s promoter, Golden Boy Boxing, two days after Garcia’s September 12 win over Conor Benn.

“We’ve said that a showdown in May 2027 is ideal for the welterweight world championship unification fight,” Lopez said.

Lopez beat Rolando Romero by majority decision on August 22 to win the WBA title. The organization ordered him on September 22 to defend it against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall, with the fighters given until October 22 to reach an agreement.

That obligation could complicate a unification with Garcia, although the WBA can grant exceptions to its mandatory defense requirements. Lopez would need the organization’s approval to pursue Garcia first.

Garcia has also expressed interest in facing retired former undisputed champion Terence Crawford. Rumors of a potential fight circulated, but Crawford dismissed them. Zuffa Boxing co-founder Dana White recently questioned whether Garcia would be the opponent capable of bringing Crawford out of retirement.

“I think there’s a fight out there that Crawford would come back for,” White said. “I don’t know if Ryan is it.”