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Mike CoppingerESPN
Teofimo Lopez and Jose Pedraza are in the process of finalizing a deal for a Dec. 10 junior welterweight fight in New York, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
The bout will be Lopez’s second at 140 pounds following a 135-pound campaign that included a victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko to capture the undisputed lightweight championship.
It will be the third time that Lopez (17-1, 13 KOs) would fight following ESPN’s coverage of the Heisman Trophy presentation.
The 25-year-old Lopez, who fights out of Las Vegas, returned from his first defeat in August with a seventh-round TKO over Pedro Campa.
Pedraza (29-4-1, 14 KOs), a 33-year-old from Puerto Rico, is a far tougher test as a former two-division champion. He was stopped by Gervonta Davis in Round 7 of a 2017 matchup at 130 pounds but went on to win a vacant 135-pound title with a victory over Ray Beltran one year later.
Pedraza lost that lightweight belt to Lomachenko via decision later in 2018 and dropped another decision to Jose Zepeda in 2019. Pedraza won three bouts against lesser opposition but is winless in his past two outings — a decision defeat to Jose Ramirez in March and a draw with Richard Commey in August.
Lopez was recognized as one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters before he dropped a decision to George Kambosos in November in ESPN’s upset of the year. It was later revealed that Lopez fought Kambosos with a slight esophageal tear.
Lopez subsequently moved to 140 pounds, where he could challenge for a title next year with a win against Pedraza.