Ryan Garcia has had enough of Teofimo Lopez’s antics.
Tensions flared between the two star boxers at Tuesday’s kickoff press conference in New York ahead of the blockbuster triple-header set for May 2 in Times Square. Garcia faces Rolando Romero in the main event of the show, while Devin Haney and Lopez compete on the undercard against Jose Ramirez and Arnold Barboza Jr., respectively. Yet even though Garcia and Lopez aren’t fighting each other, the duo shared perhaps more heat than anyone on the dais during Tuesday’s proceedings.
“We don’t give a f***,” a frustrated Garcia told Lopez midway though one of Lopez’s many self-appreciation moments. “We don’t give a f*** what you are, bro.
“I’m tired of hearing this s***. We don’t give a f***, we’re going to run that [fight] too. I promise I’m going to get to you. Enough of this s***. I’m tired of hearing you, shut the f*** up.”
“You guys are so boring,” Lopez shot back. “You guys are talking so politely to each other. It’s crazy. You guys are talking so politely, man. What the f*** is this?”
“We’re going to run that. Remember that, we’re going to run that, 100 percent” Garcia repeated.
Despite Garcia’s promises, a fight against Lopez is not in the immediate plans. If Garcia beats Romero and Haney gets past Ramirez in May, the two rivals Garcia and Haney are expected to take part in a long-awaited, heavily anticipated rematch this October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Aside from the Garcia vs. Lopez flare-up, Tuesday’s press conference wasn’t as heated as many expected, despite noted trash-talkers Garcia, Haney, Lopez and Romero sitting just a few feet away from one another. Lopez was the one who found himself at the center of most of the day’s highlight moments.
Lopez and Barboza came face-to-face hours before the press conference for an intense staredown, and they continued right where they left off later, with Barboza questioning why it took so long to make a bout between them despite both fighters competing under the Top Rank banner for years before Barboza left the promotional company in 2023.
“He’s 32-0, he just got an interim world title,” Lopez said of Barboza. “At 15 fights I got my first world title and I won it at Madison Square Garden, then became undisputed at 16 fights. I’m only 27.”
“You didn’t give a f***ing right answer, bro,” Barboza responded. “You beat around the bush when they said, ‘How come you didn’t accept this fight back then?'”
“To be real, I never had you in my sights,” Lopez said.
“Shout out to Top Rank for cutting the umbilical cord off and letting your ass crawl, finally,” a fired-up Barboza continued. “You want to wolf and talk like you’re big and bad, fighting an injured ‘Loma’ [Vasiliy Lomachenko] and an injured [Josh] Taylor, bro.”
“That’s crazy talk,” Lopez replied.
Lopez also took time to engage in a back-and-forth with IBF super lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins, who’s not on the card but has expressed his desire to face WBO champion Lopez in a unification bout.
Teofimo Lopez and Richardson Hitchins going at it at today’s press conference.
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“What you working with?” Lopez asked Hitchins.
“Y’all ain’t even send no offer,” Hitchins responded. “I’m here, man. Yo, take care of business.”
“Where’s your belt though? I thought you was a rapper. I thought you was rapping, man,” Lopez said to Hitchins.
“Teo said we next,” Hitchins told the media surrounding the pair. “You look a little nervous.”
Tuesday’s six press conference headliners also faced off in Times Square, which can be watched below.
