Teofimo Lopez denied today that he is in negotiations for a fight with Devin Haney next, saying that the reports are “fake.” It is not negotiated, and it is not sure if the rumor started, but it has no basis in reality.
Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) says he will fight Terence Crawford in 2025. However, that sounds as fake as the fake news that came out yesterday about him fighting Haney. Crawford has shown NO interest in fighting a non-PPV level fighter like Teofimo, which he probably has. lost three of his last five fights since 2021.
Haney’s negotiation reports were insane, to begin with, and so it’s nutty that people actually believed them, especially coming from the site where they originated. For starters, Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) isn’t going to take a risky fight for his comeback after his loss to Ryan Garcia.
Teofimo denies Haney’s negotiations
While Teofimo is showing serious signs of decline in his last five fights, he can still punch, and it would be dangerous for Haney to fight after the loss to Ryan on April 20. Haney still wants the rematch with Ryan because he can make millions from a second fight. He will not have removed this by fighting Teofimo and potentially raising him.
Also, a match against Teofimo wouldn’t make the kind of money for Haney that a rematch with Ryan would, and that’s if he could even get the negotiated fight. Trying to make a deal with Teofimo would be a nightmare for Haney and his father, Bill Haney.
“Where did all these rumors come from? These things came out of a hat,” said Teofimo Lopez social mediareacts to rumors of him supposedly negotiating for a fight against Devin Haney. “I didn’t have a contract sent to me. They said we negotiated. Who said we negotiated?
“I’ve heard rumors of me in negotiations with myself and Devin Haney. Now, I’m sorry to say, guys, this is all a false accusation (report) until further notice,” Teofimo said.
There was no way on earth that Haney would risk his Ryan rematch by fighting a puncher like Teofimo for chicken feed. Now, if His Excellency Turki Alalshikh got involved and was willing to hit Haney with gold bars in the multi-millions, he’d probably accept it in a second, but other than that, he’s not going to take the risk .
When Haney comes back for a deal, it will be someone who has no power and no threat to knock him down or make him look bad like Ryan did.