Teofimo Lopez fighting Steve Claggett is a “f**king disgrace”, says Eddie Hearn, who pushes for Jack Catterall to fight WBO champion instead

Teofimo Lopez is currently preparing to defend his WBO title against challenger Steve Claggett. It will be a voluntary defense for the super lightweight champion, but his decision to fight the Canadian has been slammed by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

Hearn is the current promoter of Jack Catterall, who defeated Josh Taylor on May 25 via decision. Lopez won both the WBO and The Ring world titles against Taylor in 2023, and following Catterall's victory, Hearn believes his client is ready to challenge for a world title.

The Matchroom Boxing chairman, as well as the Manchunian, appeared in front of the media at the post-fight press conference following Taylor vs. Catterall 2, where Hearn said this:

"Teofimo Lopez is fighting Steve Claggett, and I don't want to be disrespectful to Steve Claggett, but it's a f**king disgrace. It's a joke, absolute joke fight. It's on ESPN. You talk about Teofimo Lopez coming off a good win against Josh Taylor, says he's the best 140-pounder in the world. That's a joke fight. This is the guy who should be fighting Teofimo, and we believe he'll beat him all day long. We believe he should be a world champion."

Watch Eddie Hearn's comments below from 0:25:

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Jack Catterall fully focused on Teofimo Lopez but open to a Josh Taylor trilogy

Jack Catterall secured a unanimous decision victory over Josh Taylor, with the Manchunian claiming bragging rights over his opponent after years of trash-talk.

The pair first clashed in 2022, with Taylor successfully defending his undisputed light welterweight world titles via split-decision. But there was an outcry from fans following the fight, with many believing that Catterall had done enough to walk away victorious.

A heated beef ensued, and the build-up to their anticipated rematch was fiery, with 'El Gato' slapping the Scotsman at a press conference in February.

Following his victory over 'The Tartan Tornado', Catterall appeared in front of the media, where he discussed a potential clash with Teofimo Lopez next, as well as a trilogy bout with Taylor.

He said this:

"I want my chance to go an win a world title... I've got the WBO Inter-Continental belt at home. I defended it like f***ing ten times to get to No.1 to get to that WBO title. So it means something to me."

Watch Jack Catterall discuss fighting Lopez below from 2:45: