Arnold Barboza Jr. says that he will make Wbo Light Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 kos) welter champion regrets not fighting him years ago when he challenges him for his credit on May 2 in his battle in Times Square in New York City.
Years of waiting
Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 kos) is still annoying because he has taken him so long to have the opportunity to challenge Teofimo for his OMB belt because he has been classified with the sanctioning body for years. López ignored his calls and decided to fight more easily. Top Rank chose the opposition of Teofimo, so they are partly the fault.
“I knew I didn’t want to fight me for a reason. I was fighting boys like Campa and Claggett, guys who were not on my level. At this time, he is fighting me at the worst possible moment he could. I should have fought at me at the time, ”said Arnold Barboza Jr. to Ring Magazine On how Teofimo López avoided it for the past three years since 2022.
Teofimo said yesterday that he was not avoiding Barboza Jr. every year. He said they offered larger fights against Josh Taylor, George Kambosos Jr and Vasily Lomachenko. However, that does not explain why López chose to fight these guys instead of Barboza JR:
– Steve Catgett
– Jamaine Ortiz
– Sandor Martin
Helpless mentality
“Our train does not stop. We fight two of the best (Jack Catterall and José Ramírez) in the last three, four and five months. It is about to be the third in the last seven months. Now I am like a backward fighter of the old school.
“I fight at the level of my opponent. Theo is supposed to be one of the best. People doubts me. That’s ok. I went to Saudi as a loser, I went to the United Kingdom as a loser and I’m going to arrive in New York as a loser. Many people are making a lot of money, ”said Barboza Jr.
Fans doubt Barboza Jr. because he is not as well known as Teofimo. Due to his struggle style, it has been a sign -headed fight, but many people have not had the opportunity to see it.
Barboza’s fight against Jack Catterall on February 15 was the first time in his professional twelve -year career that has been in the main event. All other Barboza JR fights have been buried in the posters, which has prevented fans from seeing it. Most casual boxing fans focus only on posters.
Top Rank has done a good job by turning Teo into a minor star. It would have been much more popular than it is now if it had been busy, I would not have lost to Kambosos and were more open to take risked fights against combatants such as Ryan García, Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson and Keyshawn Davis.
Last update on 05/03/2025