WBA холбооноос Теофимо Лопезийг Жак Каттералтай тулалдахыг албан ёсоор үүрэг болгосон ч тэрээр өнөөг хүртэл тодорхой хариулт өгөөгүй байна.
WBA холбооны шийдвэрээр талууд аравдугаар сарын 22-ны дотор хэлэлцээ хийж, тулааны нөхцөлийг тохиролцох ёстой. Хэрэв тохиролцоонд хүрч чадахгүй бол тулааны эрхийг дуудлага худалдаагаар шийдвэрлэх боломжтой бөгөөд энэ нь Лопезийн хувьд хүсээгүй нөхцөл байдал үүсгэж болзошгүй юм. Лопезийн менежер Кит Конноллигийн мэдэгдснээр, WBA-ийн ерөнхийлөгч Гилберто Мендоза уг тулааныг албадан тулгахгүй гэх амлалтыг өмнө нь өгсөн гэж үзэж байгаа ч холбооны бичгэн шийдвэрт Лопезийг Роландо Ромерог ялснаар энэхүү үүргийг хүлээсэн гэж заажээ.
Лопез өөрийн хүсэлтээр Райан Гарсиатай тулалдахыг зорьж байгаа боловч WBA-ийн аваргын бүсээ хадгалахын тулд заавал Каттералтай тулалдах шаардлагатай болж байна. Каттерал өөрт нь олгогдох ёстой боломжийг шаардаж, Лопезийг тулалдах эсвэл бүсээсээ татгалзахыг илэрхийлжээ.
Шинжээчдийн дүгнэж буйгаар, Лопез өмнө нь хамгаалалт сайтай, тэвчээртэй боксчидтой тулалдахдаа хүндрэлтэй байдлуудтай тулгарч байсан нь энэ удаагийн эргэлзээг улам нэмэгдүүлж байна. Хэрэв Лопез гэрээнд гарын үсэг зурахаас татгалзаж, WBA бүсээ хураалгахад хүрвэл энэ нь түүний нэр хүндэд сөргөөр нөлөөлөх эрсдэлтэй гэж үзэж байна.
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Teofimo Lopez has been ordered to fight Jack Catterall, and a day later he still hasn’t said he’ll do it. His team is discussing its options while the mandatory challenger waits for an answer. That hesitation is easier to understand when you look at the fight Catterall would give him.
Lopez has had miserable nights against southpaws who refuse to trade on his terms. Sandor Martin dropped him. Jamaine Ortiz kept moving and made Lopez chase him. Catterall has the jab and patience to give him another twelve rounds of that work, with the added strength of a natural welterweight. Lopez might win, but he could look awful doing it.
Manager Keith Connolly says WBA president Gilberto Mendoza had assured him and Lopez that the Catterall fight would not be ordered, leaving them free to pursue something bigger. Connolly says they’ll now decide what to do. That is his account of the earlier conversation; the WBA’s written decision says Lopez inherited the obligation when he beat Rolando Romero for the title in August.
The WBA has given the two sides until October 22 to make a deal. If talks fail, it may order a purse bid. That raises another uncomfortable possibility for Lopez: the winning promoter could stage this awkward fight away from the American setting he’d prefer. Nobody has won a bid, though, and no venue has been chosen.
Lopez wants Ryan Garcia, and that fight would sell with or without the WBA belt. Ryan has his own title, and the two have enough history to fill a promotion. Keeping the belt makes Lopez a champion at the negotiating table, but keeping it also means dealing with Catterall.
Catterall has already watched Romero use his permitted optional defense to fight Lopez. He told iFL TV he wants his shot and put the choice plainly to Lopez: fight him or vacate. A second delay would need Catterall’s cooperation, and there is no indication he plans to give it.
Teofimo has time to decide. What he hasn’t offered yet is a verbal commitment to face the man the WBA has put in front of him.
If Teofimo refuses to sign the contract and forces the WBA to strip him, the fallout will torch whatever credibility he has left with hardcore fans. Nobody is going to buy the spin from Keith Connolly about backdoor promises or communication breakdowns. Boxing fans have watched this script play out too many times, and they will immediately view Teofimo as a pampered, entitled prima donna looking for shortcuts.
