Boxing fans love a good rivalry, especially when it involves two young stars with serious beef. Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez have been circling each other for years now. Both fighters climbed to the top of the lightweight division around the same time. They have traded verbal jabs on social media and in interviews. <\/p>
The drama between these fighters goes way back to their amateur days. Lopez made his mark by shocking Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020 to become undisputed lightweight champion. Haney answered back by collecting his own undisputed crown at 135 pounds. The stage seemed perfectly set for their long-awaited showdown. Unfortunately, boxing politics and contract disputes have a way of ruining the best-laid plans.<\/p>
The fight everyone wanted to see was supposed to happen on August 16th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi boxing<\/a> scene has been throwing serious money around lately. This matchup between Haney and Lopez would have been perfect for their growing boxing empire. The bout was planned as a 145-pound catchweight fight, splitting the difference between weight classes.<\/p>