During his post-fight press conference, Lopez said:
“I got three fights with DAZN, and all of them are the road to undisputed. We’re going right to every world title. We’re not taking no title defense, no nothing. Whoever’s next, we’re going for him.”
A unification technically includes a defense of the belts involved, but Lopez’s meaning was clear. He does not plan to face an ordinary mandatory or ranked challenger between attempts to collect the other titles. If that plan proceeds, it will consume well over a year. Each fight requires negotiations between promoters, networks and boxing organizations before the participants complete training camps and recover afterward. Lopez also left the Romero fight with a cut over his right eyebrow that may delay his return.
The first unification depends on another event. Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn are scheduled to fight on September 12, after which the winner will need time to recover and negotiate with Lopez. The next stage against Liam Paro or Devin Haney requires another lengthy round of discussions.
Completing all three fights may leave contenders in several organizations waiting 12 to 18 months. Some will be forced into additional bouts to protect their rankings while the champion moves from one financially attractive unification to another.
Unifications often receive priority because reducing the number of champions is supposed to benefit boxing. That principle becomes difficult to defend when it is used repeatedly to prevent every other challenger from receiving an opportunity.
Granting one exception for a major fight is understandable. Three consecutive exceptions create a separate set of rules for the boxer who generates the most money. Ranked contenders must keep winning while Teofimo remains protected from facing any of them.
The strategy also depends on Lopez winning every fight. A loss transfers the collected titles to another champion, who may then request additional exceptions for more lucrative bouts. The waiting challengers must begin the same process again with someone new.
The schedule Teofimo described requires approval from more than DAZN. The WBA and the other organizations must authorize each step. If they permit three straight unifications without requiring a mandatory defense, the “road to undisputed” will become another example of boxing’s business interests overriding its competitive structure.
