Bob Arum has suggested that Teofimo Lopez needs time out of the ring to get fit before he returns at junior welterweight.
Lopez struggled at 135lbs against George Kambobos at the end of last year, and his father suggested that it was a mistake not to move up a weight class before, something that had been openly discussed since he beat Vasyl Lomachenko back in 2020.
Top Rank promoter Arum hinted to FightHype that the fight against Kambosos had some health implications that need to be dealt with before the American can come back to the ring - and when he does it will be at 140lbs.
“First we want to get him healthy,” said Arum.
“He should have never been fighting at 135 against Kambosos.
“He almost had a fatality. He almost died because of the way he made weight. It’s not a joke. I think he’ll be okay at 140. He has some other physical problems that we’re working on him now and taking care of him.
“Once those problems are solved [for Teofimo], we’ll look for an opponent and get him back in the ring.”
Lopez has previously suggested he could fight the division’s undisputed champion, Josh Taylor.