Teofimo Lopez is set to defend his WBO junior welterweight title against Jamaine Ortiz during Super Bowl week, as announced by Bob Arum.
The fight is scheduled near Mandalay Bay on February 8th, 2024, in Las Vegas, just three days before the Super Bowl. This marks Lopez's first title defense, earned after a unanimous decision victory over Josh Taylor. Despite earlier talks about fights with Ryan Garcia and Subriel Matias, those matchups didn't materialize.
Oscar De La Hoya denied offering Lopez $1.5 million to fight Garcia after Lopez claimed he turned it down. A potential bout with Matias was proposed for February, but the IBF champion withdrew due to a hand injury. Talks are ongoing for a summer fight.
Lopez's opponent, Ortiz, bounced back from a loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko with a September win against Antonio Moran. Despite facing difficulties, Ortiz secured a unanimous decision. Ortiz faces a tough challenge against Lopez as he steps into the 140-pound division for the first time.
“We have a big platform for Teofimo – the week leading up to the Super Bowl is massive. That will be a way to advance Teofimo into big, massive fights for the rest of 2024. And then there is the step-up, tough fight for our rising star Keyshawn Davis,” Arum said
In the main supporting bout, Keyshawn Davis is set to face Jose Pedraza in a lightweight clash. Originally scheduled for December 9, 2023, the fight got delayed when Davis tested positive for marijuana, leading to his win over Nahir Albright being changed to a no-decision. Pedraza, a two-weight world champion in super featherweight and lightweight, has had his last seven fights above 135 pounds and hasn't won in his past three bouts.
Teofimo Lopez-Jamaine Ortiz, Keyshawn Davis-Jose Pedraza To Headline Super Bowl Week Show In Las Vegas On Feb. 8 https://t.co/cOZdySPNXV pic.twitter.com/pXVeR2ymKt
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) December 19, 2023