Teofimo Lopez is seeking to repair his relationship with Turki Alalshikh after a recent social media controversy where he publicly expressed frustration.
The WBO super-lightweight champion, known as `The Takeover`, had been hoping for a significant fight at 147lbs, potentially a lucrative clash with unified welterweight champion Jaron Ennis. This ambition followed his recent successful title defense against Arnold Barboza Jr. last month. The victory against Barboza Jr. marked an improvement after less convincing performances against Steve Claggett and Jamaine Ortiz.
While discussions for an Ennis fight initially arose after the Barboza bout, it now appears Lopez is considering other opponents. One such possibility is a fight against Devin Haney, who recently had a notably passive performance against Jose Ramirez on the same fight card as Lopez vs. Barboza Jr. Haney`s uninspiring victory somewhat diminished the potential excitement for a matchup between them.
Feeling that the financial offer for a potential fight with Haney was insufficient and undervalued him, Lopez directed his frustrations towards Alalshikh via several unusual tweets. These posts, suggesting he felt “fired,” indicated his displeasure with the Saudi boxing figure.
However, Lopez has since deleted these social media messages. Earlier today, he issued a public statement on X (formerly Twitter) to mend his strained relationship with Alalshikh. His apology stated, “To [Alalshikh], I take full responsibility for my inappropriate words on the ‘X app.’ I publicly [apologise to Alalshikh]; I will conduct myself with greater respect, humility, and professionalism. Sending love and light to all.”
