On June 29, Teofimo Lopez will potentially face Steve Claggett to defend his WBO Super-Lightweight title. ‘The Takeover’ won against Josh Taylor in June last year. On the other hand, Shakur Stevenson will put his WBC Lightweight title on the line against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6 in New Jersey. Both the matches will be organized by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Boxing. However, one must note that the Artem fight will be Shakur’s final bout with Top Rank before the 26-year-old enters free agency.

On this occasion, FightHype interviewed the CEO of Mayweather Promotions Leonard Ellerbe. Although Ellerbe hoped the best for the events, he reminded the boxing world that everyone cannot be as succesful as Gervonta Davis, now Abdul Wahid after converting to Islam, in the sport.

Leonard Ellerbe highlights everyone cannot be an attraction

Teofimo Lopez’s upcoming opponent Steve Claggett is already 34 years old. Additionally, he has a record of 2 draws, 7 losses, and 38 wins. Out of the 38 victories, Claggett has won 26 via knockouts. On the other hand, Shakur Stevenson’s upcoming opponent Artem Harutyunyan is 33 years old. However, since his debut in 2017, Artem has had only 13 fights. As of now, he has 1 loss and 12 wins [7KOs]. On that note, being asked what he felt about the upcoming events, Leonard Ellerbe wished Lopez and Shakur luck.

“[Bob] Arum understands how to build fighters. It’s a process. Everybody can’t be ‘Tank’ Davis. We did that s**t and doing it. It’s like that motherf****r would love to be in business with a situation where he is generating revenue. He hadn’t got there yet. He got some good fighters. But, everybody can’t be an attraction. It’s a process,” said Leonard Ellerbe.

“Teo’s a very good fighter. Shakur is a very good fighter. Wish them the best of success in their next events and what they got moving forward. But, everybody can’t be an attraction,” Ellerbe emphasized. Along these lines, he went on to praise Gervonta Davis.

Gervonta Davis brings entertainment that boxing deserves..

According to Leonard Ellerbe, boxing stars are built over time. In this regard, he alluded to how Mayweather Promotions discovered Gervonta Davis in 2015. With Team Mayweather by his side, ‘Tank’ Davis started climbing up the ladder quickly. Eventually, he defeated Jose Pedraza in 2017 to win his first IBF Super-Feratherweight title. Therefore, Ellerbe added, “That is a process over a period of time.”

“It’s hard as hell to generate fan interest. That’s why you have boxing stars and everybody can’t sell out venues. Boxing is entertainment. But one thing for sure, that motherf****r [Davis’] is a bada** dude,” Leonard Ellerbe concluded. With that said, what do you make of Ellerbe’s reaction to Shakur and Teofimo’s upcoming fights? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

It seems as though Teofimo Lopez walks into a room believing he’s the smartest one in it. His words may come across as bombastic but his actions once the bell rings often indicate that he’s one of the best fighters in the world.

Lopez’s hubris-filled attitude has led him to believe that even the likes of pound-for-pound star, Terence Crawford, wouldn’t stand much of a chance. Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) is good enough with his words to elicit a response from most but whenever Gervonta Davis’ name is mentioned, it’s crickets. There are only 24 hours in a day and Davis isn’t willing to share any of them focusing on Lopez. He did though, just watch him fight.

Lopez headlined a rare Thursday card in Las Vegas against Jamaine Ortiz. Davis, from his palatial estate, turned on his television and figured why not tune in? Once he did, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Ortiz was on his A game. The previous threats he dished out, warning Lopez of a violent knockout, were all just smoke and mirrors. He boxed and moved, drawing out frustrated sighs from Lopez as he continued to hit nothing but air. As the rounds ticked by, Ortiz ostensibly kept pushing all the right buttons. He brawled in spurts but spent most of his time letting Lopez take the lead.

By the time the final bell rang, there was a belief permeating through the arena that an upset had just taken place. Unfortunately for Ortiz, however, all three judges sitting ringside weren’t convinced that he did enough.

Tears ran down Lopez’s cheek as he began patting himself on the back. Still, it might’ve been another win but Davis wasn’t impressed. For now, he will stroll around with his WBO and Ring Magazine super lightweight titles strapped to his waist but if there’s ever a time when he does face Davis, the 29-year-old will have his knife and fork ready.

“Food,” wrote Davis on his social media account. “Food.”

Teofimo Lopez successfully defended his WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight world titles in a hard-fought battle against Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday night at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Lopez showcased his aggressive style throughout the match, while Ortiz opted for a more cautious approach, resulting in limited exchanges between the two fighters.

Despite Ortiz’s strategic shift to a southpaw stance and utilizing footwork and jabs to set up counters, Lopez persisted with relentless jabs and right hands, albeit struggling to cut off Ortiz’s movement, particularly after the third and fourth rounds.

A clash of heads in the seventh round caused a cut above Ortiz’s left eyebrow, slowing his pace. Nevertheless, Ortiz continued to land shots from a distance, while Lopez intensified his offensive efforts.

The judges scored the bout unanimously, with one judge scoring it 117-111 and the other two scoring it 115-113 in favor of Lopez. Lopez dominated the final three rounds on all three judges’ cards.

Lopez wants to fight Crawford

In an earlier bout, undefeated Olympian Keyshawn Davis delivered a convincing victory over former two-division champion Jose Pedraza, prompting Davis to call for a fight against Lopez. However, Lopez dismissed the idea and instead expressed interest in facing WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford.

“I gave it my all out there. I even tried boxing defensively, but Ortiz was reluctant to engage. Glory awaits me next. None of these fighters are willing to step up to face me,” Lopez declared.

“I’m open to facing Crawford at a catchweight. I’m here, I’m prepared, and I’ve always been ready. At 25, I’m younger, more attractive, and a two-time unified champion.

“When it comes to fighters like Keyshawn Davis, they haven’t proven themselves yet. Just as Vasiliy Lomachenko told me: To fight the best, you need to earn a world title. If you want to challenge the king, you need to earn your stripes.”

The crowd was booing when Teofimo Lopez was crowned the victor in last night’s WBO super lightweight title fight against Jamaine Ortiz. Today, Anthony Taylor has voiced his opinion, echoing the same sentiment on social media. Lopez was seemingly outboxed by his super lightweight counterpart, but the judges didn’t see it that way!

As per the official scorecard from the fight, two judges scored the fight 115-113 in Lopez’s favor. But what caught everyone’s attention was the score from the third judge, who scored the fight 117-111, resulting in a unanimous decision win for Lopez. The WBO super lightweight champion managed to defend his title for the third time, but Taylor doesn’t think he is at the same level as Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis.

Jamaine Ortiz baffled by loss to Lopez 

Turning to X (formerly Twitter), the Misfits light heavyweight champ wrote, “I’m going to say this [Teofimo Lopez] will never be as good as Tank and Haney.” While Taylor is confident about Lopez’s quality, the latter’s opponent was left baffled by the results of the fight. In fact, Ortiz remained out of Lopez’s grasp through the fight, so when Lopez won, Ortis had this to say!

“I stuck to the game plan – I listened to my corner, my team. I thought I was winning, I think I won the fight. What can I say? He couldn’t hit me. I was making him miss all night. 117-111 is just ridiculous,” said Ortiz. Despite all that, the newly crowned WBO super lightweight champion remained adamant about facing the best as his next opponent.

Teofimo Lopez: “You all can boo all you want”

Speaking to an ESPN representative during the post-fight interview, Lopez addressed the audience, stating, “You all can boo all you want,” and proceeded to direct a homophobic slur at the people present in the arena. “I am Champion, I am king, and the King stays King…,” Lopez continued.

When asked about what’s in the future for him, Lopez had the name ready to go! “I [will] fight Crawford at a catchweight, what’s up then,” said Lopez. “I’m ready, always been ready, I’m hungry, I’m younger, I’m prettier… two-time first male Undisputed world champion at 25,” he continued. Lopez had also called out Terence Crawford during a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, claiming ‘Bud’ only fights weak opponents.

With Teofimo Lopez seeing a controversial decision win over Jamaine Ortiz, Anthony Taylor is confident Lopez ain’t in the same league as Davis and Haney. Meanwhile, Lopez wants Crawford next. What did you think about the result of the fight? Did you think Lopez won the fight?