WBO Orders Josh Taylor Vs. Teofimo Lopez
10 days to agree before a purse bid is called
The WBO has officially requested that Josh Taylor, the current light welterweight title-holder, face Teofimo Lopez for a title defense.
Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) and Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) have been given a ten-day window to come to an agreement before a purse bid is necessary.
The bout is being planned to take place in Scotland, Taylor’s homeland, either on May 27th or June 3rd, 2023.
Notably, Lopez rejected the challenge of WBC 140 lb champion Regis Prograis, which many boxing aficionados viewed as a cowardly move by the former unified lightweight champion.
Lopez did not go through much in order to acquire his opportunity to challenge Taylor. His win over Sandor Martin on December 10th, 2022 was contentious, with many in the boxing world believing he lost.
It is hoped that Taylor can remain healthy and make it through the training camp without any issues, as recently, he had to cancel his planned rematch with Jack Catterall due to a foot injury.
Catterall is obviously unhappy with the announcement of Taylor deciding to move away from a rematch.
In his comments to iD Boxing, Catterall said: “I’ve lost all confidence in Taylor now. I don’t think he’ll make it back to the ring, so it’s time to move forward. I’m not surprised by anything anymore.
“I believe he had an operation in the last year, and now it’s foot and then his knee, and then it was something else. I honestly don’t believe he’ll fight again. He achieved a great number of things in the sport.”