The lightweight division is increasingly becoming highly competitive with top ranked matchups. The division arguably has made a lot media headlines after Richard Commey pummeled Isa Chaniev to become the IBF lightweight king. Also in the mix is the dilemma of Micky Garcia to stay at the welterweight division or drop to the lightweight division to defend his WBC strap. Garcia is scheduled to meet Mauricio Sulaiman, the President of WBC, before 12th April to decide his fate at the division.
Teofimo Lopez 21, (12-0, 10KO) a promising American boxer, only rated second to Robert Easter Jr. in the American ranking, is very much hyped and really living up to the billing.
Lopez locked horns with Diego Magdaleno in a lightweight contest on a TOP RANK undercard of Kovalev vs Alvarez II, dispatched Magdaleno on the seventh (7) round and made a damning gesture literally meaning Magdaleno is a garbage and he should be carried away from the ring. This did not go down well with Jessie, the former WBO super bantamweight champion who is Diego’s junior brother. This generated controversy but was quickly foiled by the ring security.
Edis Tatli 31, a Finnish and one of the best in the lightweight division looks to improving his ranking across the division. Tatli (31-2, 10KO) was on the verge of securing a fight with Emmanuel Tagoe early last year for the IBO lightweight title, and a number two slot on the IBF ranking when Richard Commey moved to the number one spot after the fight with Alejandro Luna.
Both boxers are widely rated by the IBF, WBC, WBO and the WBA. Lopez is ranked number four (4) by the WBA, WBC, IBF and occupying the fifth(5) position in the WBO ranking. On the other hand Tatli does not make the first fifteen positions in the WBA, but ranked 4, 12 and 9 by WBO, IBF and WBC respectively.
The stage is set for a very exciting fight between the two as America awaits to witness whether a sterling performance from Teofimo Lopez or a disappointing one.
Top on the card is the Crawford verses Khan showdown at the Madison Square Gardens, New York. Over 20,000 spectators are expected to throng the Gardens to watch the fight.