American-Honduran boxer Teofimo Lopez joined Team Canelo training, as he looks for a unification fight against WBO and IBF super lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins, a bout that may not end well for Lopez.
Hitchins is like a combination of Shakur Stevenson, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Subriel Matias, that is, he can do it all and is very difficult to hit, despite the fact that Teofimo claimed to feel rejuvenated.
“The Takeover” (21-1-0, 13 KOs) is only 27 years old, although at first glance he seems to be in his late 30s, so manager Eddy Reynoso will have to work miracles to make Lopez look better than he does these days and return him to the fighter he was in his prime.
For now, it seems that Lopez is capable of winning his fights, but against opponents who are weaker than him, as has been the case for some years now.
Lopez’s three-fight contract with Turki could be a bad deal
Turki Al-Sheikh signed the Honduran for three fights, but he may regret such a decision, unless an unexpected miracle occurs, and that is what Team Canelo will have to work on.
Teo comes from winning his last fights against Pedro Campa in 2022, in the same year he knocked out Sandor Martin in the second round; later he defeated Josh Taylor and Jamaine Ortiz, and in June 2024 he won by decision against Steve Claggett, against whom he received more punishment than he was supposed to have received.
Teo is the WBO super lightweight champion, and hopes to have a good start to the year by facing Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs), the IBF champion in the same category.
If he wins his fight, he could look for an IBF welterweight title fight against Jaron Ennis.
For now, Teo is a good 140-pound champion, but he is not the boxer he was five years ago, which is why Canelo’s team could be a good option for the Honduran-born fighter.
“I want to face Teofimo in New York, in Brooklyn, fight for a unification of titles,” Hitchins said. “I think that would be one of the biggest fights of 2025, a very lucrative fight and a great fight.”