A rumored title fight will come with sanctioning body approval—along with a ticking clock to reach a deal.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that the previously discussed Josh Taylor-Teofimo Lopez junior welterweight championship was formally ordered by the WBO. A letter issued to Top Rank—promoter for both boxers—outlined the terms for what is now regarded as a mandatory title defense.
“Please be advised that in the wake of the recent postponement of the Josh Taylor/Jack Catterall WBO voluntary title defense, the WBO World Championship Committee is hereby ordering the commencement of negotiations for the Mandatory title defense obligation in the Jr. Welterweight division between Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez, Jr.,” WBO Championship Committee chairman Luis Batista-Salas stated to promoter Bob Arum via official letter, a copy of which was obtained by BoxingScene.com. “The camps herein are granted 10 days upon issuance of this notice to reach an agreement or purse bid proceedings shall be conducted pursuant to WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.”
A purse bid hearing will be ordered by the WBO should the two sides fail to come to terms by the February 24 deadline.
Scotland’s Taylor (19-0, 13KOs) has not fought since a questionable split decision victory over England’s Jack Catterall (26-1, 13KOs) last February 26 in Glasgow. Taylor was committed to the fight as an inherited WBO mandatory title defense after a twelve-round win over Jose Ramirez in their May 2021 WBA/WBC/IBF/WBO unification bout in Las Vegas.
Plans for a snake bitten Taylor-Catterall rematch were in place for much of the second half of 2022 and through the first quarter of 2023, to the point of Taylor having relinquished his WBA, WBC and IBF titles in lieu of honoring ordered mandatory title defenses. Efforts to proceed with a second fight versus Catterall have proven futile, including the cancellation of a March 4 date after Taylor claimed to have suffered a torn plantar fascia in withdrawing from the voluntary title defense.
Medical proof was sought by the WBO, who issued a Medical Certification Notice to the Scottish southpaw on January 23, two days after it was learned that the Catterall rematch was canceled. A five-day deadline was assigned to the task, though the ordered title fight versus Lopez was the only update to that development.
Lopez (18-1, 13KOs) has won each of his last two starts since moving up to junior welterweight.
The former lineal and unified WBA/IBF/WBO lightweight champion scored a seventh-round stoppage of Mexico’s Pedro Campa in his official debut at the weight last August 20 in Las Vegas. The feat was followed by a split decision win over Sandor Martin last December 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Lopez rose from a ruled second-round knockdown to earn the victory in an uneven performance, though one that was intended to provide a second mandatory challenger for WBC junior welterweight titlist Regis Prograis (28-1, 24KOs).
Lopez—and Top Rank—instead chose the WBO route, where is currently ranked number one in the 140-pound division.
Should the fight go to a purse bid, the minimum acceptable bid is $150,000. It is not expected to go that route, however, as the fight has been in talks in recent weeks. The expectation is for the fight, once finalized, to take place later this spring.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox