By Keith Idec
December 10, 2022
Source: Boxing Scene
Photo Source: Boxing Scene
FLEMINGTON, New Jersey – Teofimo Lopez can make cases for either Gervonta Davis or Ryan Garcia winning if those contemporaries finally fight on an undetermined date in the spring.
More than anything, though, Lopez applauded Davis and Garcia for overcoming obstacles on the business side to make what would be one of the biggest fights in boxing.
“I truly believe it’s a 50-50 fight at the moment,” Lopez told BoxingScene.com. “It’s all about who wants it more. But it’s gonna be great for the sport of boxing, no matter what. You know, no matter how it goes, the fight fans are finally getting something. If it’s not Crawford and Spence, at least we’re getting Davis and Garcia. It’s great for the sport.”
Lopez, who will face Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, expected Davis and Garcia to fight in 2021. After prolonged negotiations, they announced last month on social media that they’ll fight later in 2023 if they win their bouts in January.
Baltimore’s Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) is scheduled to defend his WBA world lightweight title against Dominican southpaw Hector Luis Garcia (16-0, 10 KOs, 3 NC), the WBA 130-pound champion, in a Showtime Pay-Per-View main event January 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs), of Victorville, California, is expected to face Filipino southpaw Mercito Gesta (33-3-3, 17 KOs) on January 21 or January 28 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
Wins by Davis and Ryan Garcia would ensure that they’ll fight later in 2023.
“This is what we need,” Lopez said. “We need more of this, especially in 2023. In the upcoming years, we need fights like me and Devin Haney. We need fights like Garcia and Davis and so on and so forth. Obviously, as you can see, the guys that have been in the game for a little bit longer than us do not wanna fight. They do not wanna entertain the fans like we want to. You know, this is a new era coming into the sport of boxing. And I promise you this is gonna be the one that saves our sport.”
The matchup itself is intriguing to Lopez because the taller, rangier, right-handed Garcia and the shorter, explosive, left-handed Davis are both capable knockout artists full of confidence.
“Both guys are dangerous fighters,” Lopez said. “Both guys have things that they can capitalize on. And both have flaws that they can take advantage of. So, this is a great matchup. I think, as long as they are successful in their [upcoming] fights, it’s gonna be a great fight.”
Two years after Lopez upset Ukraine’s Vasiliy Lomachenko by unanimous decision to become a unified lightweight champion, Lopez is hopeful that Davis and Garcia encouraged their peers to take these types of high-risk, high-reward showdowns.
“I thought that it would happen after 2020, when me and Lomachenko faced each other,” Lopez said. “You would expect that, right? That’s when they started mentioning the four kings and all that stuff, but we never got it. You know, but hey, everything takes time. I’m glad that they’re willing to at least give the fans somewhat of an idea that they are trying to make this fight happen. And now it’s all about just capitalizing, having these guys beat these opponents that they’re gonna face right now, before they face each other. And I still have it 50-50. However, Tank Davis can capitalize if he closes the distance.”
Brooklyn’s Lopez (17-1, 13 KOs) is listed by most sportsbooks as at least a 7-1 favorite to beat Martin (40-2, 13 KOs), who upset four-division champion Mikey Garcia by majority decision in a 10-rounder that took place in October 2021. ESPN will broadcast their 10-round WBC elimination match as the main event of a four-fight telecast from Madison Square Garden in New York (9 p.m. ET; 6 p.m. PT).
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