Teofimo Lopez Returns To ESPN PPV On Oct. 2 After Top Rank Contract Amended

Teofimo Lopez Jr.’s relationship and future with Top Rank has been restored. 

ESPN announced during the Shakur Stevenson vs. Jeremiah Nakathila undercard broadcast on Saturday that Top Rank and Lopez have amended their original five-year contract that runs until the end of 2023, and the plan is for Lopez to return back to the platform and fight on an ESPN+ pay-per-view on Oct. 2.

The amended contract also calls for Lopez to earn higher minimum purses moving forward. 

The IBF, WBO, WBA, WBC franchise champion Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) next fights George Kambosos (19-0, 10 KOs) on Triller PPV on June 19 at the LoanDepot Park in Miami. 

The February purse bid for that fight started the beef between Lopez and Top Rank when promoter Bob Arum insisted the fight was not a premium contest and underbid for it.

His stance opened the door for boxing upstart Triller to showcase the clash on its platform when it paid $6,018,000 for the fight, besting Top Rank’s offer of $2,315,000. Even Matchroom Boxing ($3,506,000) offered more than Top Rank.

In recent months, the relations between both sides have been frosty, but ultimately, cooler heads prevailed once Top Rank and Lopez manager David McWater of Split-T management hammered out a new deal. 

Lopez first has to get through Kambosos to cash in on his PPV promise.

Arum and company could entertain the idea of staging an undisputed lightweight fight between WBC champion Devin Haney and Lopez, a Lopez rematch with Lomachenko, or a fight with undisputed super lightweight champion Josh Taylor should the 23-year-old decide to move up to the 140-pound division

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com