The IBF is moving forward with Richard Commey vs. Teofimo Lopez and hopes to make the fight as soon as possible.
The sanctioning body gave both parties a 30-day notice to negotiate a bout for Commey's lightweight world title with a deadline of September 7. If both parties are unable to successfully come to terms on a fight by then, a purse bid will be ordered.
Lopez, one of boxing's fastest-rising stars, won a title eliminator on July 19 in Oxon Hill, Maryland to become the mandatory challenger to Commey's title. Lopez and Masayoshi Nakatani battled to a 12-round decision but Lopez easily won the contest with scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 118-110.
Commey won the IBF lightweight title in February when he defeated Isa Chaniev in two rounds to claim the then-vacant belt. In his lone title defense on June 28, Lopez defeated Raymundo Beltran by stopping him less than a minute into the eighth round.
The two will look to do battle next with not only the IBF title on the line but also a potential future fight down the road against the winner of Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Luke Campbell for the unified WBA, WBO and WBC titles, taking place in London on August 31. Should the winner of the two face each other, likely in 2020, it would crown an undisputed champion at 135 pounds since Pernell Whitaker was the undisputed champion from 1990 to 1992.
