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Top Rank Boxing promoter Bob Arum believes a fight between Teofimo Lopez and Ryan Garcia is very possible.
Arum claims he has received positive indications from Garcia's promoters Golden Boy about the fight, having notably spoken to founder Oscar De La Hoya and president Eric Gomez.
However, the only major stumbling block is Garcia's now-strained relationship with Golden Boy.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve talked to Oscar, I’ve talked to Eric, who are good friends,” Arum told Fight Hub TV (via Boxing Scene). “They would like to make that fight. It depends on their relationship with Ryan.
“I don’t want to get into it because I don’t know enough about it. But if they can truly produce Ryan, that would be a huge fight for both guys and I would certainly be interested in it. Co-promotion with Golden Boy is something we’ve done very often.”
The issue for Garcia stems from De La Hoya and the rest of his team not showing up at the post-fight press conference following his defeat to Gervonta Davis earlier this year. Garcia was also said to have felt aggrieved by the rehydration clause included in that fight.
De La Hoya is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with Garcia — not for any money as per his claims — as he wants the latter to honor his contract.
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As for Lopez, he seems to be fully committed to fighting again. Following his unanimous decision win over Josh Taylor in June to win the WBO super lightweight title, the 26-year-old seemingly announced his retirement in a move that came out of nowhere.
He would later have a change of heart with Arum stating that a divorce in the buildup to the Taylor fight is what led to Lopez's decision at the time.
The legendary promoter believes with no distractions and a positive mental state, Lopez is virtually unbeatable at 140 pounds. Whether that will remain the case remains to be seen, however.
“I think if Teo is right (mentally), nobody beats him at 140,” Arum added. “I really believe that. You know, if Teo is distracted with personal problems, then Garcia who really punches hard, can win by knockout.
“So again, when you’re dealing with fighters you don’t know what you’re going to get from fight to fight with a lot of them.”
