Promoter Bob Arum revealed that the Saudis want to offer Teofimo Lopez a three-fight deal, which he likes. Arum says it’s up to Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) to give him his “endorsement.”
They want Teofimo to fight good opposition, which will be risky because he looked vulnerable in many of his fights in the last four years. He turned down a fight against Subriel Matias recently, and Devin Haney said there was an offer that Teo turned down.
Lopez did not want to put George Kambosos Jr. after fighting in 2021. This strange, self-defeating behavior prevented Teofimo from becoming more popular. Of course, taking those fights would have worked against Lopez, as he would have lost them all, and it would be even worse now.
The Saudis want Teofimo now, while he is still semi-popular, but if he loses all three fights for them, he will be in the “who needs the club”. It will be on the scrap, and which promoter wants to go dumpster diving for Teo. He would be like another type of fighter Rolly Romero who is good at promoting his fights but is not reliable in the ring.
Deal of three fights
“The Saudis came to us, and they talked about doing a three-fight deal with Teofimo, which we like very much. Now the ball is in Teofimo’s court to get his approval,” said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to Fighthype on Teofimo Lopez.
“The Saudis have moved forward with the plan, and as for Top Rank, we are happy with the offer and the arrangement. Now, it’s Teofimo’s turn. I will be back in Vegas on Saturday, and I will contact Teofimo and his people to see where it goes from here.
“We are talking with the Saudis (about Teofimo fighting the IBF light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins). We had a good relationship with Teo, but there comes a time where they try to fly a little on their own. It is not unusual. It happens, but I think Teofimo will like the package that the Saudis have presented, and we will move forward with him on that basis,” said Arum.
Teofimo’s career could be in the dumps after his three-fight deal with the Saudis expires in early 2026, as there isn’t a fight he has a good chance of winning between the three. If these are the three battles that Turki Al-Sheikh has for Lopez, it is not likely that he will have a new contact:
- Richardson Hitchins – summer
- Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis – October
- Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney 2 winner or loser – February 2026
Loser Garcia-Haney 2 is the winningest of those three for Teo. In the last four years, we have seen what Lopez has seen in his fights against Steve Claggett, Jamaine Ortiz, Sandor Martin and George Kambosos Jr. He’s not talented enough to get past Hitchins or Boots without losing at least one, if not two. .
The next
The Saudis are not going to throw mega-millions at Teofimo after he leaves 0-3 in his current contract. I can see Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom signing Lopez after his contact with Turki and Top Rank expires. They just signed Liam Smith, 36, who hasn’t fought in two years since 2023 and is coming off a KO loss to Chris Eubank Jr.
If Matchroom were willing to sign Smith, they would be all over Teo, and invest in a rebuilding job like they did with Anthony Joshua. It didn’t work with him, and it won’t be effective with Lopez if he’s coming off a three-game losing streak. It’s not just those three fights.
Teofimo has wrestled consistently since his loss to Kambosos Jr. in 2021. He was saved by the judges who saved her. Jamaine Ortiz and Sandor Martin. Top Rank helped Teo not throw himself to the wolves by pitting him against the guys who finish what Kambosos started.
