Garcia-Lopez mega fight teased amid title dilemma

Connolly hints at talks as Catterall waits for his shot

Teofimo Lopez’s manager, Keith Connolly, met with Ryan Garcia’s manager, Lupe Valencia, and hinted at a mega fight. However, this matchup could result in Teofimo Lopez having to relinquish his WBA welterweight world title, since he’s actually due for a mandatory defense. The bout could still take place even without two belts on the line, and it would be a mega showdown. His manager certainly made the meeting look good. On Instagram, he wrote:

“Met up with Lupe Valencia today in San Diego for coffee. Boxing fans get ready Mega Fight coming”

Even though he didn’t confirm that things went well or that an agreement was reached, this statement sounds positive at first glance. The mere fact that the two decided to sit down together and discuss a bout gives the whole thing more substance than it had beforehand. However, this doesn’t change the situation regarding the scheduled mandatory defense for Teofimo Lopez in the slightest. He and Jack Catterall have until October 22 to agree on a bout before the fight can go to a purse bid. Jack Catterall has made it very clear, however, that he won’t back down, which means Teofimo Lopez’s team remains under pressure, and a title fight against Ryan Garcia probably won’t be so easy after all. However, the title isn’t all that important to him in terms of non-monetary value, since a fight with Ryan Garcia would likely be at least as lucrative, if not more so. It’s worth noting, though, that it would still be a title fight, since Ryan Garcia holds the WBC title. What do you think, is this a fight we can look forward to, or do you not think an agreement will be reached?

A matchup between two titleholders would obviously be better, but in general, I think it would be a great matchup regardless of the titles. I'd be happy if we could see that.