Teofimo Lopez is free to defend his newly claimed championship versus the challenger of his choosing.
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) confirmed that the two-division and reigning lineal/WBO junior welterweight champion is in the voluntary stage of his title reign. The ruling was made as the sanctioning body rejected a formal request by unbeaten contender Arnold Barboza Jr. to be named mandatory challenger.
“Teofimo Lopez, Jr., is currently in a voluntary period and can defend his title against any of the 15 world-rated contenders in the Jr. Welterweight Division,” WBO Championship Committee chairman Luis Batista-Salas informed Barboza via manager Rick Mirigian in an official ruling obtained by BoxingScene.com. “Therefore, the issue before us is not ripe for our intervention. Conversely, it is important to highlight that pursuant to our governing rules and regulations, the mandatory defense obligation may be extended or modified considering numerous circumstances, including but not limited to:
– (i) good cause to extend the mandatory title defense;
– (ii) sanction approval of Unification Championship contests;
– (iii) if the WBO Champion is granted “Super Champion” status recognition with the rights and privileges conferred by such designation; (iv) rulings considered by the WBO that best serve boxing’s interests; etc.
“Therefore, until this Committee determines that a mandatory title defense shall be discharged in the WBO Jr. Welterweight Division, it is then there that we shall convene and rule accordingly, including the selected contender in the Jr. Welterweight Division. Although we acknowledge Barboza, Jr.’s continued interest and support to the WBO, we must abide by our rules and proceed with their enforcement when relevant.
The decision marks the second WBO-related blow dealt to Barboza (28-0, 10KOs) within a span of less than three weeks.
Los Angeles’ Barboza was briefly in the running to contend for the WBO title, at a point when it was believed that Lopez (19-1, 13KOs) was retired and prepared to vacate. The Brooklyn native—who represented Honduras in the 2016 Rio Olympics and was previously the lineal and unified lightweight champion—informed the WBO of that very process in mid-June, just days after he dethroned Scotland’s Josh Taylor in his otherworldly performance on June 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Tentative measures were taken to fill the vacancy beginning with an ordered fight between Barboza and former unified WBC/WBO titlist Jose Ramirez (28-1, 18KOs). The provisional ruling came with the caveat that it would be nullified if Lopez confirmed his intention to remain as champion, and/or if undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney (30-0, 15KOs) planned to move up and immediately challenge for the title.
Lopez’s decision to retain the title left Barboza without clear direction, thus his decision to petition the WBO on July 14 to have his status confirmed at the mandatory challenger.
The grounds existed for the request. The previous mandatory title defense was when Taylor barely edged England’s Jack Catterall in a highly disputed decision victory last February 26 in Glasgow. Lopez was permitted to challenge for the title, while the WBO was unsuccessful in its effort to order a title eliminator—ironically, involving Barboza, whose team declined the opportunity to face Australia’s Liam Paro after Matchroom Boxing won the purse bid.
Barboza—who was with Top Rank at the time but is now a free agent—was due just 40 percent of the $303,000 bid.
The 31-year-old contender last fought in a ten-round unanimous decision over former two-division titlist Jose Pedraza on February 4 in Glendale, Arizona. He and his team have made the rounds with different promoters, including a recent visit to Golden Boy Promotions to gauge interest in his future options. That decision will dictate when and who he next fights.
“Notwithstanding today’s ruling, we strongly recommend Barboza, Jr., to keep active and compliant with the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests,” noted Batista-Salas.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox