WBO 140-lb champion Teofimo Lopez says he is in talks to fight a unification bout against IBF light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins next.

Teofimo (21-1, 13 KOs) will then move up to 147 and challenge IBF welterweight champion Jaron 'Boots' Ennis on the Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney 2 card in October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. If Lopez wins against Ennis, he will face the winner of Garcia-Haney 2 in February 2026 in Riyadh.

Lopez-Hitchins integration

Lopez would not say if Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) would have to win the unification fight as a condition to face Boots Ennis in October. However, it is likely that the Turk Al-Sheikh will allow Teofimo to face Ennis in October, even if Richardson defeats him as he has backed the fighter in big fights on the back of his defeat.

What could be a problem is if Teofimo gets blown out by Hitchins in a humiliating defeat, which is going to taint a clash between him and Boots in October. There is a great chance that Hitchins will dominate Teofimo and make him look worse than George Kambossos Jr., Sandor Martin and Jamin Ortiz. Will the Turk still want to throw Toke into the ring with Boot Ennis for October?

That would be tantamount to awarding defeat. Lopez has looked terrible against Steve Claggett and Jamain Ortiz, who is on a seven-fight losing streak in his last two fights. Fans overwhelmingly felt that Lopez was gifted a decision against Zmain, and the same goes for his fight against Sandor Martin.

“I look forward to a very productive year. We've got a three-fight deal that hasn't been announced yet, but we're looking forward to announcing it very soon,” Teofimo Lopez said. Fight Hub TV He is about to sign with Turki Al-Sheikh.

“Yes, that's what it looks like, yes,” Teofimo said after hearing from the Turk that he will fight Jaron 'Boots' Ennis in October and then the winner. He will face the winner of the Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney 2 fight in February 2026 “Yeah, we're looking forward to it. It's all about the best fight, and we're here to be strong.

“The only thing now is to win our next fight, that's it. It's as close as it gets,” Lopez said when asked how close he is to the Boots Ennis fight. “At 140 and then we go to 147. We're talking right now with (IBF light welterweight champion) Richardson Hitchins. We're going to unify. .”

I don't see Lopez's three-fight deal with Al-Sheikh ending well. Teo will earn plenty of money but will likely lose to Richardson next and look like a chum thrown to a hungry shark when he faces IBF welterweight champion Boots Ennis in October.

The Turk, who lost the October card, plans to meet in February in a consolation bout in Riyadh. We'll likely see Teofimo face Hani, with both their careers on thin ice.

147's street

“So, two world title fights (Hitchins and Ennis) lined up and then the prize fight. So, we've got a good plan,” Teofimo said. “Yes, we (Hitchins and Teo) know each other. Yes, we're looking forward to great things right now. Stay tuned. Very soon,” Lopez said when asked about Hitchin's relationship. That's the beauty of it. That's the goal. My legal team is doing a great job.

The way Richardson Hitchins dominated IBF 140-lb champion Liam Paro last month in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he's going to beat Teofimo and expose him as a fighter in the making. Lopez has been looking uphill since losing to Kambossos Jr. in 2021 and has looked poor in repeated performances over the past four years. Teo took a lot of punishment for his win over Vassily Lomachenko in 2020 and hasn't been the same since.