Bob Arum has spoken about a possible blockbuster showdown between Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney if the WBO welterweight champion defends his title this weekend.
Lopez (20-1 (13)) makes his second defense of the belt against Steve Claggett (38-7-2 (26)) in Miami Sunday, live on Sky Sports Action And Main event from 2am, and promoter Arum already has his eyes fixed on what’s next for the American.
A clash with his compatriot Haney (31-0 (15)), currently designated as “recreational champion” by the WBC after his no-confrontation match against Ryan Garcia in Aprilis among the potentially enticing matches on the horizon if the 26-year-old defeats Canadian challenger Claggett.
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Teofimo Lopez returns to the ring this weekend to defend his world title against Steve Claggett
“There are a lot of 140-pound champions who would be very good matches for Lopez,” Arum said. Aerial sports.
“There’s Devin Haney – him and Haney would make a great fight.
“There’s a lot of activity in those weight classes and if Teofimo pulls through, he’ll have a lot of big fights ahead of him.”
Meanwhile, Arum is hoping to see Shakur Stevenson put on a big show when he defends the WBC title against Artem Harutyunyan, live on Aerial sports action Sunday, July 7th from 1 a.m.
Bob Arum wants ‘exciting’ performance from Shakur Stevenson in title defense next month
WBA champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and IBF titleholder Vasily Lomachenko are among the other names leading the 135-pound division, but Arum is eager to see Stevenson (21-0 (10)) show what he is really. capable with an eye-catching display against Harutyunyan (12-1 (7)).
“I want to see a top performance from Shakur,” Arum said. “It’s an exciting fight.
“I know if he goes out there and pecks, he can beat anyone, but that’s not fun for people and professional boxing is part of the entertainment, so I want him to commit in an entertaining fight.
“This lightweight division is stacked; Tank Davis just scored another knockout over Frank Martin in a very exciting fight… Lomachenko now holds one of the lightweight titles, and him and Davis would be a huge, huge fight.
“There is a lot of activity in these divisions and these fighters seem ready and willing to fight each other.”
Watch Teofimo Lopez and Steve Claggett battle for the WBA light welterweight title on Sunday morning from 2am, live on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event. Also watch boxing and other top non-contract sport with NOW.
