Boxing
Ryan Garcia vs. Teofimo Lopez Set for February 6: Latest Update on Anticipated Match
Ryan Garcia faces a choice between taking a December date with Isaac Cruz or holding out for a clash with Teofimo Lopez. The second route is complicated by Lopez’s mandatory WBA obligation involving Jack Catterall.
Cruz called for Ryan after stopping Nestor Bravo in six rounds Saturday night in San Diego. Ryan quickly accepted and indicated that an offer would follow.
Preliminary discussions have taken place between representatives for Ryan and Lopez. Chris Mannix revealed that talks have targeted February 6, 2027, at Madison Square Garden.
“There have been conversations between the representatives of Garcia and Lopez about making a Garcia versus Lopez fight, to the point where the conversations even got to a spot where they talked about a date, which is early February. I think February 6th is the date that I was told, and the location is Madison Square Garden in New York City,” said Mannix on his channel.
Mannix prefers Ryan to skip Cruz and go directly into the Teofimo bout. That route assumes the WBA will permit Lopez to bypass Catterall, who defeated Shakhram Giyasov to secure his mandatory claim.
Matchroom has sent formal legal letters urging the sanctioning body to enforce its ruling. Eddie Hearn argues that Catterall’s status carried over with the belt from Rolando Romero to Teofimo. Team Lopez claims the directive applied strictly to Romero and no longer binds the new titleholder.
Mannix’s February target ignores the governing body timeline. Unless Ryan meets Teofimo prior to Catterall’s cited November window, Teofimo must satisfy that mandatory defense. Negotiations, a potential purse bid, a full camp, and physical recovery would make February 6 impractical.
Catterall also represents a stylistic danger for Teofimo. The British southpaw controls distance with a disciplined jab, employs lateral movement and scores with counters without retreating into a shell. He has a clear blueprint in Shakur Stevenson’s showing against Teofimo. Teofimo relies on a predictable pattern. He presses forward like an incoming tide to unleash combinations before resetting straight back. That approach gives a poised counterpuncher like Catterall clean opportunities to time him. Teofimo risks losing the belt before Ryan ever gets him in the ring.
If Teofimo chooses to vacate instead, the matchup with Ryan loses its title prestige and strips Teofimo of negotiating power. Ryan generates massive arena business on his own name. Lopez relies on Ryan to produce a career-high purse.
Waiting on Teofimo introduces ring rust for Ryan. Lengthy layoffs have disrupted Ryan’s timing throughout his career, and sanctioning body disputes rarely resolve quickly. A December fight keeps him sharp while cashing another substantial check.
Pitbull Cruz brings action appeal, yet remains vulnerable to Ryan’s weapons. The short pressure fighter moves forward behind an earmuff guard and lunges inside. Ryan possesses the straight right to split that defense and the check left hook to catch Cruz in mid-leap. That physical contrast grows sharper once Ryan hydrates up into middleweight territory on fight night.
Teofimo delivers the steeper tactical hurdle. He possesses the lateral agility to circle away from Ryan’s hook, the upper body slip to evade incoming right hands, and the counterpunching ability to punish an upright target.
Mannix viewed Cruz as a distraction on the road to Lopez. Catterall stands as the real roadblock. Ryan can face Cruz in December while Lopez sorts through his WBA mess. If Teofimo still possesses the belt when the dust clears, Madison Square Garden will still be waiting.
The WBA already shredded its own credibility by sanctioning Teofimo against Rolly Romero in the first place. Giving an immediate shot at a secondary belt to a fighter coming straight off a wide points loss to Shakur Stevenson made a mockery of the ratings. The only justification offered was the commercial value of putting two loud talkers on pay-per-view.
Now Gilberto Mendoza is caught in the trap he created. That July 9 message to Catterall, explicitly telling him he would get the winner of Rolly versus Teofimo within 180 days, puts the WBA president on the record. Matchroom’s legal team has documented proof that Catterall took the risk, beat Shakhram Giyasov, and earned his status in a sanctioned eliminator.
From a sporting standpoint, letting Teofimo bypass Catterall looks terrible. It signals that mandatory positions only exist for contenders who lack the leverage to be ignored. Teofimo arguing that his name was not on the original paperwork is classic promoter double-talk. Mandatory obligations belong to the championship belt, not the individual holding it. If a title changes hands, the new champion inherits the baggage attached to the hardware.
Despite how ugly it looks, the WBA will almost certainly look for an escape hatch if Ryan Garcia and Lopez finalize terms. Sanctioning bodies operate on percentages of total fight purses. A percentage of a Ryan Garcia pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden generates massive revenue for the WBA. A low-profile mandatory defense between Lopez and Catterall in Manchester or New York pays a tiny fraction of that amount.
Boxing
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Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez, the Puerto Rican three-division world champion whose 17 successful super bantamweight title defenses all ended by knockout, died Saturday, October 10, at age 69.
His son, Wilfredo Gomez Jr., confirmed his death to Telemundo Puerto Rico, which reported that Gomez had spent approximately two weeks hospitalized with respiratory complications. He died around 9 p.m., with the family expected to release further details Sunday.
Gomez’s place in boxing history rests most firmly on his extraordinary run at 122 pounds. He finished his career with a 44-3-1 record and 42 knockouts, winning world titles at super bantamweight, featherweight and super featherweight. He entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.
Born in San Juan on October 29, 1956, Gomez represented Puerto Rico at the 1972 Munich Olympics and won amateur world championship gold in Havana in 1974. His professional championship career began in May 1977, when he recovered from an early knockdown to stop Dong Kyun Yum in the 12th round for the WBC super bantamweight title.
The nickname “Bazooka” suited his punching power, but Gomez brought more than heavy hands. His combinations, timing, and ability to create openings made him dangerous against opponents who could punch themselves.
Carlos Zarate discovered that in October 1978. The Mexican bantamweight champion entered their fight with 52 victories, no defeats, and 51 knockouts. Gomez stopped him in five rounds, producing one of the defining victories of his career and a memorable chapter in the Puerto Rico–Mexico rivalry.
His December 1982 fight with Lupe Pintor showed another side of his greatness. With his eyes swollen and his energy fading, Gomez had to keep fighting through a punishing contest in New Orleans. He stopped Pintor in the 14th round, completing his 17th successful defense at 122 pounds. That victory required endurance and courage alongside the power that had made him famous.
Moving through the divisions also brought defeats. Salvador Sanchez handed Gomez his first professional loss in 1981. Gomez nevertheless went on to win championships at 126 and 130 pounds, adding to a career already exceptional for his dominance at super bantamweight.
The knockout totals explain part of his legacy. The Zarate and Pintor fights explain the rest: Gomez could overwhelm an elite puncher or survive a brutal struggle long enough to finish it. Both remain essential viewing for anyone discovering the fighter behind the “Bazooka” name.
Floyd Schofield captured the vacant WBA lightweight title against Lucas Bahdi on Saturday night, but his uneven performance looked nothing like the explosive first-round finish he produced against Tevin Farmer well over a year ago.
Schofield (20-0, 13 KOs) won a unanimous decision at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, with scores of 116-110, 119-108, and 115-111. Bahdi (20-1, 15 KOs) supplied enough heavy punches and difficult moments to make that 119-108 card look particularly generous.
The long layoff appeared to show in Schofield’s timing and decision-making. His hand speed remained an advantage, but he alternated between sharp boxing and wild attacks that left him available for Bahdi’s counters. Against Farmer, everything ended before those weaknesses could be tested. Bahdi stayed around and kept testing them.
Schofield started well behind his jab, using quick combinations and lateral movement to make Bahdi chase. A third-round left hook sent Bahdi into the ropes for a knockdown, giving Schofield an early cushion.
That success did not lead to a comfortable night. Bahdi’s body punching and heavier shots kept him competitive, and the sixth round became a dangerous firefight. Schofield was badly rocked but answered with his own punches, showing toughness while taking risks he could have avoided.
His better work came when he returned to boxing. Bahdi struggled to cut off the ring consistently, allowing Schofield to score and move before the heavier return shots arrived.
The ninth brought controversy when Schofield’s knee touched the canvas after a Bahdi right hand without a knockdown being called. Bahdi received an official knockdown in the eleventh, although their feet tangled as Schofield went down.
Schofield used movement to negotiate the final round and secure the belt. He deserved credit for surviving the rough stretches, but winning a title should not obscure an untidy return.
Another lengthy absence would hardly help: he needs regular rounds to sharpen his timing and learn when to stop trading.
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Wilfredo Gomez, Legendary Boxer, Dies at 69 Leaving Behind an Historic Legacy
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