Boxing is slowly making its return with Top Rank making the biggest splash.
Top Rank founder Bob Arum announced Tuesday that Vasiliy Lomachenko will face Teofimo Lopez on Sept. 19 in a lightweight title unification bout.
According to reports, Lomachenko and Lopez were originally scheduled to meet on May 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
However, the fight was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Top Rank is one of the first boxing promoters to return to action holding fights in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lomachenko is the WBO and WBA Lightweight champion, while Lopez holds the IBF Lightweight title.
However, much still needs to be worked out. Details such as where the fight will occur and whether fans will be able to attend are still up in the air.
“In talking with Lomachenko and Lopez, neither of them want an interim fight,” said Arum. “So we would plan to do that in September, with or without an audience.”
Arum hinted at Lomachenko vs. Lopez being a pay-per-view fight held in Las Vegas. However, those details aren’t complete yet.
The Fights We Want To See
The fight is one that people want to see during a time when the public has been starved for sports during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 32-year-old Lomachenko is a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine who owns a professional record of 14-1.
10 of his wins are by knockout.
Lomachenko has won 13 in a row, including victories over Anthony Crolla and Luke Campbell last year.
The fighter is widely considered the pound-for-pound leader in boxing after a relatively short professional career and extensive amateur one. Lomachenko is also an Olympic gold medalist.
Lopez, 22, is a young and hungry Brooklyn, New York, native of Honduran descent. He stands at a perfect 15-0 with 12 wins by way of knockout.
Lopez is also a former Olympian who represented Honduras at the 2016 Summer Games.
The biggest win of Lopez’s career thus far came in December when he beat Richard Commey by second-round technical knockout to win the IBF Lightweight title.
Both Lomachenko and Lopez have been fairly dominant during their young professional careers, but they figure to be each other’s toughest test thus far, and their bout has all the makings of a potential Fight of the Year candidate.