After IBF super lightweight champion Subriel Matias notched his fifth consecutive corner stoppage a few weeks back, the question was obvious: who on Earth could possibly want that smoke?
Turns out, we may already have an answer, as Chris Mannix reports that there “have substantive conversations between [Top Rank] and Matias” to stage a unification with Teofimo Lopez at some point next year.
Per Mannix and Jake Donovan, the current point of contention is the date. Matias (20-1, 20 KO) announced over the weekend that Lopez (19-1, 13 KO) accepted a fight in February, but that Matias wouldn’t be ready until the month after due to hand issues.
Mannix mentions a potential June showdown “on the NYC Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend’ with Teofimo fighting someone else in February.
Lopez does have a mandatory challenger in Arnold Barboza Jr, but he’s presumably not due until a year after Lopez’s win over Josh Taylor, which just so happens to be June.
If you’re reading this site, I don’t have to sell this matchup to you. In terms of pure action potential, it’s as appealing as anything the division has to offer, and I will begrudgingly give Loepz heaps of respect regardless of outcome if he goes through with it. Give us the violence.