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Josh Taylor vs. Teofimo Lopez Junior Welterweight Title
Showdown Set For June 10 At MSG
Tartan or Takeover?
Undefeated junior welterweight king Josh Taylor will defend
his WBO and Ring Magazine titles against former lightweight
kingpin Teofimo Lopez Saturday, June 10 at The Theater at
Madison Square Garden.
Taylor-Lopez will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes
and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
“This is a super fight on both sides of the pond, the junior
welterweight king in Josh Taylor stepping up against the
young, dynamic Teofimo Lopez,” said Top Rank chairman Bob
Arum. “I cannot wait for these two supreme talents to step
into the Madison Square Garden ring. It’s going to be a
special night.”
Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs), “The Tartan Tornado,” is the former
undisputed junior welterweight champion, having collected
all four major titles in a remarkable four-fight run that
included wins over Ivan Baranchyk, Regis Prograis and Jose
Ramirez. He debuted in the paid ranks in 2015 and captured a
Commonwealth title in his second year before defeating
fellow unbeaten prospect Ohara Davies via seventh-round TKO.
The 32-year-old then beat former world champions Miguel
Vazquez and Viktor Postol before entering the World Boxing
Super Series in 2018. Taylor stopped then-undefeated
contender Ryan Martin via TKO before capturing his first
world title with a decision victory over Baranchyk. His wins
over Prograis and Ramirez left no doubt as to the world’s
supreme 140-pound practitioner. Taylor returns more than one
year after his last performance, a competitive split
decision nod over Jack Catterall.
Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) is the former unified and lineal
lightweight champion of the world. In December 2019, he
captured the IBF title with an explosive second-round
knockout of Richard Commey. The following October, he bested
pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko to win the WBA, WBO,
and WBC Franchise titles. Thirteen months later, he lost the
belts via shocking split decision to George Kambosos Jr. The
25-year-old then made his junior welterweight debut in
August 2022 by stopping Pedro Campa in the seventh round.
Last December, Lopez edged Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin by
split decision. Before becoming world champion, he was the
buzz of the boxing world with highlight-reel knockouts over
Diego Magdaleno and Mason Menard. Lopez now has his sights
set on another southpaw and hopes to become the sport’s
latest two-division ruler.
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