.png)
Teofimo Lopez has voiced his frustrations with Top Rank Boxing, accusing his longtime promoter of sabotaging his career following the collapse of a proposed fight with Subriel Matías.
Initially reported by ESPN, Lopez was set to face Matías in a highly anticipated junior welterweight clash, with the target date of March 15th. However, after presenting a counteroffer, Lopez claims the proposal was rejected, leading to a negotiation breakdown. This situation has sparked a war of words, with Top Rank chairman Bob Arum publicly questioning Lopez's decisions in an interview with Ring Magazine. Arum asserted the deal would have represented the biggest purse of Lopez’s career.
Lopez, however, sees things differently. He recently explained his reasons for declining the offer, questioning the fight's pay-per-view (PPV) status and its promotional strategy.
“If they wanted to promote it on the West Coast, if he’s Puerto Rican, shouldn’t he be on the East Coast in New York?” Lopez remarked. “Secondly, it was on pay-per-view. I’m not fine with pay-per-view if it’s not with the right dance partner. Listen, if Subriel Matías was really worthy of that type of competition, then Matchroom, Eddie Hearn would’ve still kept him.”
Lopez further criticized Top Rank’s insistence on making the fight a PPV event, despite doubts about its success.
“They didn’t even believe it would pass that 100,000 threshold,” Lopez added. “So, why are we doing it on pay-per-view? That’s from Bob Arum himself, the chairman. If you go on BoxingScene, he said it’s not pay-per-view worthy. So, why are we still making the fight pay-per-view? They’re trying to f*ck my life up. Literally, my career.”
As tensions escalate, it remains unclear whether Lopez and Top Rank can reconcile. Lopez’s last fight in July 2024 saw him secure a dominant unanimous decision victory over Steve Claggett, retaining his WBO and The Ring junior welterweight titles.