We are now just 12 days away from what is arguably the most anticipated fight of 2020, as pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko and young rising phenom Teofimo Lopez meet for three of the four major lightweight titles in an ESPN main event on Oct. 17.
The fight even has a trailer, which is a good idea, because everyone should be as hyped as possible, and this is a good way to quickly sell your casual or even only possibly lightly potentially interested friends and family on what should be a great fight.
As for the “three of the four major lightweight titles” thing, we do have to be a bit of a downer on that one. The trailer is acting like this is for the undisputed crown at 135, but it’s not. Vasiliy Lomachenko has the WBA and WBO titles, and Teofimo Lopez the IBF. Lomachenko did win the WBC belt last year, but quickly gave it up in favor of that organization’s recently-created “Franchise Champion” status, and Devin Haney actually holds the WBC title right now. The WBC have decided to allow their “Franchise” title to be contested for Loma-Lopez, which goes against the idea behind the tag when it was created, but no matter how you slice it there will still be a dispute from Devin Haney.
What this IS, though, is a fight for the clear No. 1 spot in the division. The winner will be The Man in the eyes of everyone who isn’t Devin Haney and people who are directly involved in Devin Haney’s career.
GET HYPED. This is a big one, this is a fight that isn’t just a great matchup but one that has legitimate appeal for anyone with even a passing interest in boxing.