Teofimo Lopez targets Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn winner after WBA win

Teofimo Lopez left Las Vegas with the WBA welterweight title and a clear idea of where he wants his reign to go. The former unified lightweight champion defeated Rolando “Rolly” Romero by majority decision at T-Mobile Arena, becoming a three-division world champion. Lopez said after the fight that he wants to face the winner of the WBC welterweight title bout between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, scheduled for September 12.

The official scorecards reflected a competitive but controlled performance from Lopez. Two judges scored the 12-round fight 116-112 and 115-113 for the challenger, while the third had it even at 114-114. The result moved Lopez to 23-2 with 13 knockouts and ended Romero’s title run. Romero fell to 17-3 with 13 stoppages.

Lopez established the pattern in the opening rounds with his jab, forward movement and higher activity. Romero spent much of the early action circling and looking for counterpunching chances, while Lopez pressed the fight and landed enough clean shots to take the first three rounds. The champion began to change the momentum in the fourth, when his counter left hook found Lopez and briefly wobbled him.

Romero produced his strongest sequence in the fifth round. Another left hand hurt Lopez, opened the cut above his right eyebrow and left the challenger moving unsteadily around the ring. The injury, described as recurring scar tissue around Lopez’s right eye, began bleeding heavily. Romero had his best opportunity to take control, but he could not turn the moment into a sustained attack or a knockdown.

Lopez recovered in the sixth round and resumed moving forward behind the jab. He added body work and continued throwing while Romero waited for single openings. The cut reopened late in the fight, but it did not prevent Lopez from remaining the busier boxer. He also landed enough accurate punches to keep Romero from building on the fourth- and fifth-round success.

The later rounds followed that pattern. Lopez stayed on the front foot and found Romero more consistently, while the champion’s caution limited his output. Romero needed a strong final round but remained defensive in the 12th, and Lopez finished the contest as the aggressor. The victory completed Lopez’s move from former two-weight champion to titleholder in a third division.

At his post-fight press conference, Lopez identified Garcia against Benn as his leading option. He said his manager, Keith Connolly, also manages Benn, and described a bout with Benn as a fight that could be taken across the Atlantic if the British boxer wins. Lopez added that he would be supporting that outcome regardless of the business connection. Garcia and Benn are contesting the WBC welterweight title on September 12.

Lopez also left open the possibility of fighting IBF champion Liam Paro. He did not want a meeting with WBO champion Devin Haney immediately, instead saying he would rather wait until later. His reason is tied to their history at lightweight, where Lopez claimed undisputed status after beating Vasiliy Lomachenko, while Haney was recognised as the legitimate WBC champion. Lopez now wants the possibility of resolving the wider undisputed issue at the end of the sequence.

The result adds another champion to a welterweight division with several potential matchups. Garcia-Benn will determine one route, while Paro offers Lopez a direct fight with another belt-holder. Haney remains a longer-term possibility in Lopez’s plans. For now, Lopez has the WBA belt, a 23-2 record and several ways to build his new reign.

The Las Vegas card also produced a new interim WBA super bantamweight champion. Gary Antonio Russell defeated Victor Santillan by unanimous decision, with scores of 119-108 twice and 118-109. Russell’s speed, jab and combination punching controlled the fight, and he dropped Santillan with a right hook in the 12th round. Russell improved to 22-1 with 13 knockouts, while Santillan fell to 16-3 with seven stoppages.