The World Boxing Organization (WBO) will launch an investigation into super-lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez concerning controversial comments and conduct, WBO President Gustavo Olivieri has confirmed.
Lopez, holding a record of 22-1 with 13 knockouts, recently successfully defended his WBO title at 140lbs by securing a unanimous decision victory over his mandatory challenger, Arnold Barboza Jr., earlier this month.
Following this defense, the 27-year-old boxer has expressed interest in moving up to the 147lb welterweight division, with a potential significant bout against unified titlist Jaron Ennis being a primary target.
Despite his aspirations for the welterweight ranks, Lopez`s reign as the WBO champion at 140lbs could potentially end prematurely if he is stripped of his title as a result of the impending investigation.
The inquiry stems from past incidents. Late last year, during an interview, Lopez was asked to choose between facing Terence Crawford or Gervonta Davis. His response, “Whichever monkey wants to get the banana,” ignited significant controversy within the boxing community, prompting condemnation even from Crawford himself.
Adding to the accusations, Lopez was again widely accused of racism earlier this year. Days before WBO world lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis was set to fight Denys Berinchyk, Davis received an anonymous delivery at his hotel containing bananas and a watermelon.
Keyshawn Davis initially suspected his opponent was responsible for the act. However, Teofimo Lopez later appeared to implicate himself through social media posts. Lopez shared a video where he reacted to the incident while eating a banana, leading many to believe he was behind the delivery.
These combined instances, including the previous controversial comment and the more recent incident involving Keyshawn Davis, have led to the WBO initiating a formal investigation.
WBO sanctioning body chief Gustavo Olivieri addressed the situation last week on X, stating, “We will convene next week to address this matter and other relevant events.” He added, “Rest assured, we will carefully investigate any and all potential violations of our rules regardless [of] the fighter and proceed in accordance with due process guarantees.”
