TEOFIMO LOPEZ became the hottest ticket in boxing overnight and can now cherry pick the next man he makes a millionaire.
Aged just 23, the IBF super-lightweight king snatched the WBC, WBA and WBO belts away from pound-for-pound icon Vasiliy Lomachenko in the early hours of Sunday morning.
With just one high-level win on his shallow pro record, the Brooklyn banger dominated the two-time Olympic champion over 12 one-sided rounds to become undisputed boss.
Those few super-fans who backed the upstart to upend the applecart, thought he might do it with a one-punch KO from the fistic gods,
But the wonderkid proved his mettle by bossing the little legend and shaking up the whole world boxing order.
Lopez now has the world as his oyster. But what will the 32-year-old fallen phenom do to repair his legacy?
Rematch?
There was NO instant rematch clause written into the mega-money contract, despite the pair sharing Top Rank at promoters.
Newly crowned Lopez is going to be hounded by the four sanctioning bodies, he now represents, to defend their version of the title.
That means Loma is very unlikely to land a rematch for all the same honours.
If Lopez really fancied it, the likelihood is it would have to happen without one of his titles, as boxing’s suicidal insistence on adding more weight classes and titles continues.
And the original victory was conclusive enough to mean only hardcore Loma fans are demanding a rerun.
Carl Frampton vs Jamel Herring winner
Irish icon Frampton is bidding to become the Emerald Isle’s first three-weight champ with a win over the American WBO super-featherweight boss, in early 2021.
Loma has rejected the idea of going up in weight anymore and had his homework confirmed on Saturday,
But he could reclaim his old title and launch a bid to become undisputed at 9st 4lbs with a win over the Belfast icon or America’s former Marine once they decide their overdue bout.
Gervonta Davis vs Leo Santa Cruz winner
Tank Davis is the Floyd Mayweather protege who had always promised to destroy Loma, even before Lopez got the chance.
The weight-hopping Baltimore banger has his hands full on October 31 when he faces Mexico’s WBA super-feather king.
Three -weight champ Davis, the tattooed softly-spoken superstar, would be am ideal Loma opponent if he can stay disciplined enough to bulldoze Cruz.
And fight fans would love the idea of Davis and mentor Mayweather crossing swords with Loma and his trainer/father Anatoly.
Meeting the Monster
Naoya Inoue – Japan’s three-weight world champion – has destroyed almost everything in his path.
The 27-year-old has blitzed his way to world titles at light-flyweight, super-flyweight and bantamweight and has been backed to venture higher if it means locking in a clash with Loma.
Top Rank icon Bob Arum has said: “He’s a featherweight. He had to eat extra food to box at 135lbs.
“We have Jamel Herring, Miguel Berchelt, Oscar Valdez, Carl Frampton, we have plenty of activity.
“If we can’t get decent fights at lightweight, we will drop down and fight at 130 or 126.”
“Inoue is a big kid and could go up to 126 and he says he wants to fight Lomachenko. There will be plenty of big fights for Loma.”
Retire?
The one thing about Lomachenko and gym-mate Oleksandr Usyk is that they are complete mavericks.
Deeply religious men, Ukraine icons and Olympic immortals, they are not in professional boxing to make a few quid.
If Loma feels there is too much aggravation in trying to hold all four belts at a lower weight – having had titles at feather, super-feather and lightweight, he could just walk away as one of the most celebrated and mysterious men of the sport.
The man formerly known as Hi-Tec and ‘The Matrix’ loves to fish and kayak, to play chess and backgammon.
You cannot imagine he would worry about walking away from the grubby business of prize fighting.
It’s unlikely he would quit on such a disappointing loss – but rest assured – when he calls it a day you will never see him limp back in like so many struggling heroes for one last payday.
