Lopez team seeks legal route around WBA mandatory Catterall fight

Teofimo Lopez’s legal team is working on a way to avoid an ordered WBA mandatory defence against Jack Catterall. Lopez became the organisation’s full welterweight champion with a majority-decision victory over Rolando Romero in Las Vegas last weekend.

Manager Keith Connolly said the team is examining whether Lopez’s status as the WBA “super” champion gives him the option to pursue a major unification bout instead of facing Catterall next. Connolly indicated that the legal discussions are under way but did not disclose the details of the argument.

Lopez moved to 147 pounds for the Romero fight and recovered from a serious fifth-round setback, when an overhand right hurt him, to remain the more active boxer. The result put him back in the win column after his wide points defeat by Shakur Stevenson in January.

The champion has identified possible unification opponents including Devin Haney, Liam Paro and the winner of the Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn fight. Garcia and Benn are scheduled to meet at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on September 12.

Catterall holds the WBA’s regular welterweight title and is seeking the opportunity to face Lopez for the full championship. He secured that position by defeating Shakhram Giyasov on points in May, and WBA president Gilberto Mendoza had indicated that Catterall would receive his title challenge within 180 days of that bout.

That timeline has created a proposed November 19 deadline for the mandatory contest. Lopez’s camp disputes having accepted the 180-day requirement and plans to discuss the issue with the WBA, while also arguing that the super-champion designation carries greater privileges than the regular title.