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

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

The Lopez-Hitchins correlation

Lopez does not say if he has to win Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) contract fight as a condition he will meet Boots Ennis in October. However, it is likely that Turki Al-Sheikh will still allow Teofimo to face Ennis in October, even if Richardson beats him because he is good with fighters who help fight a big fight on the back of defeat.

In what could be a problem if Teofimo gets blasted by Hitchins in a humiliating defeat, it will interfere with the fight between him and Boots in October. There is a very good chance that Hitchins will dominate Teofimo and make him look worse than George Kambosos Jr, Sandor Martin, and Jamaine Ortiz combined. Does Turki still want to use Teo in October to throw him in the ring with Boots Ennis?

This is equivalent to a profitable defeat. Lopez looked awful in his last two fights against seven-time losers Steve Claggett and Jamaine Ortiz. Fans strongly believe that Lopez has a gift against Jamaine, the same in his fight against Sandor Martin.

“I’m looking forward to a very productive year. We have a three-fight contract that has not been disclosed, but we expect to announce it soon,” said Teofimo Lopez. Fight with Hub TV about him signing with Turki Al-Sheikh.

“Yes, that’s what it looks like, yeah,” said Teofimo when he was told that he had heard from Turki that he would fight Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in October, and then if he wins. will face the winner of the Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney 2 in February 2026. “Yeah, we’re waiting. 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 very close until then,” Lopez said when asked how close he is to the Boots Ennis fight. “At 140 and then we’re going to 147. We’re talking right now with (IBF light welterweight champion) Richardson Hitchins. We will be united. “

I don’t see Lopez and Al-Sheikh’s three-fight deal ending well. Teo will make big money but will likely lose to Richardson and then look like a chum thrown to a hungry shark in October, when he faces IBF welterweight champion Boots Ennis.

Turki is preparing the losers of the October card to meet in February in what could be a consolation fight in Riyadh. We will see Teofimo meet Haney, and all their work on thin ice.

Route to 147

“So, two international fights (Hitchins & Ennis) followed each other and then a prize fight. So we found a good plan,” said Teofimo. “Yes, we (Hitchins and Teo) know each other. Well, we’re expecting big things right now. Listen to yourself. Soon, “Lopez said when asked when his fight with Hitchins will take place. That’s the beauty of it. We’re doing everything right now. That’s the goal. Getting everything ready and done. My legal team is doing a good job, and that’s it.”

The way Richardson Hitchins dominated IBF 140-lb champion Liam Paro last month on December 7 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he will beat Teofimo and show him as a washed-up fighter. Lopez has looked up the hill since losing to Kambosos Jr. in 2021, and he continues to look bad in the playoffs over the past four years. Teo took a lot of punishment in his win over Vasily Lomachenko in 2020, and it hasn’t been the same since.