American boxer Teofimo Lopez has claimed the WBA 'Super' welterweight world title, defeating Rolando Romero by majority decision at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. This victory makes Lopez a three-weight world champion, having previously held titles at lightweight and light-welterweight.
Despite holding the WBA 'Regular' belt and being next in line, Briton Jack Catterall was seemingly snubbed by Lopez for his first defence. Lopez, 29, instead expressed a desire to face the winner of the upcoming WBC title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, scheduled for September 12th, or pursue a unification bout with Australia's IBF champion Liam Paro.
Catterall quickly responded to Lopez's comments, posting on X: "Congratulations Teofimo Lopez but I will be taking that belt 100%. Let's Gooo." The WBA could potentially overlook Catterall in favour of a unification bout, despite his position as mandatory challenger.
The win marks a strong comeback for Lopez, who suffered his second career loss in January to Shakur Stevenson. He largely controlled the fight against Romero, 30, despite sustaining a cut above his right eye in the fifth round. Romero, who was unhappy with the scorecards, stated, "I am owed a rematch."