Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) could challenge Brian Norman Jr. for the WBO welterweight title next if Teo wins tonight against Steve Claggett in their headliner on ESPN.
This would be a sink-or-swim fight for Teofimo against the young 23-year-old Norman, who looks like he could be a star in the making. If Teofimo fails, Top Rank can trim their roster and build Brian Norman into the next welterweight superstar. It’s a great way for Bob Arum to see whether Teofimo is worth keeping, because the way he’s performing now, he’s dead weight to the company.
Bob Arum’s Plans for Teofimo
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says he wants Teofimo to move up to face unbeaten Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 23 KOs), who is coming off a tenth-round knockout win over previously unbeaten Giovani Santillan on May 18th in San Diego, California. If Teofimo wins the fight, he’d be a three-division world champion.
Hopefully, this isn’t a fight in which Top Rank has to drag Teofimo into the ring, kicking and screaming, due to his reluctance to face the dangerous puncher Brian Norman Jr. Teofimo has had a good thing going lately, with Top Rank matching him carefully, and yet he’s still struggled.
Teofimo’s Reluctance to Face Top Talent
Some feel that Teofimo is washed and is only being propped up due to the careful maneuvering by the Top Rank match-makers. Norman Jr. could be nightmare for Teofimo if he’s just a shell of the fighter he was four years ago when he pulled off a narrow upset against the injured one-armed Vasily Lomachenko in 2020.
It’s unclear if Teofimo will follow the program to fight the 23-year-old Norman Jr. because he’s not a big name. He already ruled out challenging Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis for his IBF 147-lb title because he does not have star appeal. However, Top Rank can’t protect Teofimo forever by matching him against lower-level opposition like Steve Claggett. Teofimo has got to be able to hang with the cut-throat competition, and if he can’t do that, he’s useless to Arum.
If Teofimo can’t deal with being thrown with the general population, Top Rank must consider moving on from him. They can’t keep Teofimo in the current protective situation where he’s isolated from talented opposition because his popularity continues to sink. It started after Teo’s loss to Kambosos, but it’s gotten worse due to his lackluster competition.
Brian Norman Jr.: A Rising Star
Norman is less known than Boots, but he is plenty dangerous with his power and toughness. Teofimo might get chewed up and spat out by Norman, as this is a much more grueling fight against the mentally fragile New Yorker than his fights against George Kambosos Jr., Vasily Lomachenko, Josh Taylor, Jamaine Ortiz, or Sandor Martin.
Norman is more suited to handle fighting against the best in true combat than Teofimo, who has shown to be mentally weak when dealing ith adversity. Top Rank is doing the right thing in throwing Teofimo into a sink-or-swim situation against Norman.
Brian Norman Jr. holds the WBC interim welterweight title but could be upgraded soon to full champion after Terence Crawford is stripped due to his move up to 154.
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