The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is set to initiate an investigation into the recent controversial statements and conduct by super-lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez. This was confirmed by WBO president Gustavo Olivieri.
Earlier this month, Lopez successfully retained his WBO title by defeating his mandatory challenger, Arnold Barboza Jr., via a unanimous decision. Following this victory, the champion, who holds a record of 22 wins and 1 loss with 13 knockouts, expressed interest in moving up to the 147lb division, with a potential fight against unified titlist Jaron Ennis being a primary goal.
However, despite currently holding the WBO belt at 140lbs, the 27-year-old boxer faces the possibility of being stripped of his title before he can pursue achievements in the welterweight division.
The controversy centers around multiple incidents. Towards the end of the previous year, Lopez was asked in an interview with Broadway Joel whether he would prefer a match against Terence Crawford or Gervonta Davis. Lopez responded by saying: “Whichever monkey wants to get the banana.” This remark quickly caused a significant backlash within the boxing community, and even Crawford himself publicly criticized Lopez`s comment.
Compounding the issue, Lopez faced widespread accusations of racism again earlier this year, just days before WBO world lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis was scheduled to fight Denys Berinchyk. Amidst his preparations, Davis received an anonymous package containing bananas and a watermelon delivered to his hotel room.
Keyshawn Davis initially suspected his opponent was behind the racist act. However, Lopez later indicated he was the likely culprit through social media. He posted a video of himself reacting to the incident while eating a banana, leading many to believe he was solely responsible for the delivery.
These combined incidents are the reason Lopez will now be formally investigated by the WBO.
WBO president Olivieri announced the upcoming investigation last week on X, stating: “We will convene next week to address this matter and other relevant events. Rest assured, we will carefully investigate any and all potential violations of our rules regardless [of] the fighter and proceed in accordance with due process guarantees.”
