Arnold Barboza Jr. Riffs On Teofimo Lopez: It’s Me Really Wanting To Fucking Get Him!
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Abraham Gonzalez
This past weekend, boxing had its fair share of upset specials, and afterward, a viral video interaction between undisputed Lightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez and WBC Champion Devin Haney took place.
I wouldn’t get your hopes up that the verbal battle transitions to a literal physical faceoff, however. Although there was some good verbal sparring between the two and their fathers, realistically, it's a fight that most fans feel won't occur anytime soon.
A fight that can happen soon with natural beef is between Teofimo Lopez and Arnold Barboza Jr (26-0). The super lightweight Barboza, who turns 30 in December, has fought his way up the ranks and feels like it's his time to shine, whether it's a fight with undisputed Super Lightweight king Josh Taylor or Teofimo.
The last time we saw Barboza Jr., he showcased his skills against Antonio Moran(26-4-1) in August, when he won by unanimous decision and captured the WBO International Super Lightweight title. Barboza had this to say about his fight with Moran: “It was a good fight and a learning experience. We could have done way better, but you learn from it. I'll be working on those things as I prepare for my next fight.”
With only one fight this year and the calendar reflecting the month of October, I asked Arnold if the plan was to get another fight in before the end of the year. “I think this is it for the year. We are looking forward to a fight early next year.” Barboza Jr. continued, “We are not a prospect anymore, so we don't fight as often as we are used to. We had a potential date for December, but it was a bit short notice as I like to have ten-week camps. Anything under that, I just won't feel comfortable going into a fight, so we are looking at next year around January or February.”
That makes sense and it’s wise of Barboza Jr. to stick to what works for him and his team.
While discussing his future, I had to get into his issues with Teofimo and his dad. Not too long ago, things to seem cordial between Barboza Jr. and Lopez as they spoke after a fight in Vegas and they even shook hands. Barboza Jr. mentioned that even at the Loma fight, he wished Teofimo the best going into the contest. It was after the fight where Arnold saw a change in Teofimo.
Will Arnold Barboza Jr. get his title shot next year? Photo by @fundamentals19.
“It started when he was talking about coming to 140 and immediately fighting for all of the belts. I felt like there was no respect for those that worked hard to be in line for a title shot, like me. I called him out and said if he wanted to come to 140, I would be happy to fight him,” Barboza told me. “I was at the pad for Fury vs. Wilder fight and got a video from my buddy where Teofimo's dad was saying that his son will be fighting Kambosos in November and then me in January. Then I saw another interview where Teofimo Sr. said that his son would be fighting me in January and that I would be a tune-up fight. That's some disrespectful shit!”
Arnold Barboza is a mature 29-year-old. He said he felt like reaching out to Lopez Sr via Instagram direct message, talking it out in civil fashion. After doing so and not receiving a response, Barboza Jr. called into “Tha Fighter's Voice” podcast, where Teofimo's dad was the guest. The two got into it, and it added more gasoline to an already lit fire. Barboza Jr. said that he was “legit angry” during the verbal sparring between the two.
If that wasn't enough, this past Saturday on DAZN, Lopez Sr. decided to do an interview and he went as far as telling the host that his son would knock Barboza out in three rounds. After seeing this content from Saturday night, Barboza said, “They are bitches and aren't really about it. It's me really wanting to fucking get him!”
Lopez said in a recent Dan Rafael column, “That's Top Rank talking, I make my own rules here. Top Rank, we're partners, but at the end of the day, I deal with people from ESPN now.”
Barboza isn't aware of such a narrative, he said. “Top Rank hasn't mentioned it to me. I told my manager Rick (Mirigian), that this is the fight that I want. I'll wait for him after the Kambosos fight, whether it's February, March, or April. This is the fight I want!”
Barboza Jr. knows that as of right now, everything revolves around what the current undisputed champion Josh Taylor does in the future. “Right now, the 140 division is all in a line waiting to see what Josh Taylor is going to do. He is the king of the division and has earned it. If a fight with Taylor presents itself, of course, I'll take it. If that fight or the Teofimo one doesn't happen, I want the next biggest fight. Everyone above me has had their shot at the title except me, so I think I deserve a shot.”
My Three Cents:
Arnold Barboza Jr. has worked hard to get to this position. He wants to fight Teofimo Lopez badly and said he would even travel to New York for it if he had to. Although Arnold has proven he’s able to sell tickets within his hometown of Los Angeles, a fight at the Barclays or the Madison Square Garden sounds interesting. Let's see how this all plays out and if Barboza Jr. gets the big fight he has earned. He’s doing a pretty solid, and spicy, job at stating his case.
You can follow me on Twitter @abeg718 and follow @NyFights on Instagram
Born and raised in the Bronx, New York City, Abe grew up in a family who were and still are die-hard boxing fans. He started contributing boxing articles to NYF in 2017. Abe through his hard work, has made his way up the ranks and is now the editor at NYFights. He is also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).