Lightweight contender Teofimo Lopez's next fight is set to take place in New York on one of Top Rank's biggest boxing cards of the year.
According to Mike Coppinger, Lopez has agreed to terms to fight European champion Edis Tatli on April 20 and is set to take place on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Amir Khan.
A win over Tatli would almost surely put Lopez at least near the top of the IBF lightweight rankings where he could potentially challenge for Richard Commey's title. Commey was supposed to fight unified champion Vasiliy Lomachenko on April 13, but Commey is dealing with an injury that will prevent him from getting ready to face Lomachenko.
In the meantime, Lopez, one of boxing's fastest-rising stars, has been trying to get a title opportunity in the near future. Lopez has won all 12 of his pro bouts and is on a four-fight win streak. Lopez is ranked in the top five in the WBA, WBC and WBO rankings at lightweight and is ranked No. 9 by the IBF. This would be Lopez's second fight of 2019 with his most recent bout being a knockout win over Diego Magdaleno in early February.
Tatli, a former world title challenger and multi-time European champion, has won his last two fights and sports a 31-2 pro record. Tatli is currently ranked No. 3 by the IBF, but is the highest-ranked fighter at 135 pounds since the there is no one occupying the No.1 and No. 2 spots in the IBF.
The card will take place at Madison Square Garden with the main card being shown on ESPN pay-per-view.
