WBO junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor faces Teofimo Lopez Jr. in the main event of a Top Rank Boxing card Saturday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
This is a battle between a former junior welterweight champion, Taylor, of Scotland, and a former unified lightweight champ, Lopez, of Brooklyn, New York. Taylor relinquished his other three major belts to pursue a rematch with Jack Catterall, whom he’d beaten in a controversial decision in February 2022. When that rematch fell through, Taylor set his sights on Lopez.
Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) is a natural 140-pound fighter who has beaten Regis Prograis, Jose Ramirez and Ivan Baranchyk. Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) is fighting in the division for only the third time. His previous fights at 140 pounds were a TKO of Pedro Campa in August and a controversial split decision over Sandor Martin in December.
Both fighters had to be separated during an attempt to face off during Thursday’s news conference. They been actively engaging on social media leading up to the fight and those comments seem to have struck a chord.
Follow along as Mike Coppinger and Michael Rothstein recap the action as it happens in New York or watch the fights on ESPN+.
