WBO junior lightweight world champion Josh Taylor defends his belt against Teofimo Lopez Jr. in the main event of a Top Rank on ESPN card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET, undercard on ESPN+ at 5:10 p.m. ET).
Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs), of Edinburgh, Scotland, is a former undisputed champion at 140 pounds. He relinquished his other three belts pursuing a rematch with Jack Catterall — who he beat in a controversial decision in February 2022 — instead of fighting his mandatory challengers. When the rematch against Catterall didn’t materialize, Taylor decided to travel to the US to face Lopez.
Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs), of Brooklyn, New York, became the unified lightweight champion by beating Vasiliy Lomachenko in October 2020, but lost his belts against George Kambosos Jr. a year later. Lopez has rebounded with two victories since.
“This is a super fight on both sides of the pond, the junior welterweight king in Josh Taylor stepping up against the young, dynamic Teofimo Lopez,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum via news release. “I cannot wait for these two supreme talents to step into the Madison Square Garden ring. It’s going to be a special night.”
Where can I watch the Taylor-Lopez fight card Saturday?
The Taylor-Lopez fight card broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+ will begin at 10 p.m. ET. The main card includes an eighth-round junior middleweight bout between top prospect Xander Zayas against veteran Ronald Cruz.
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How do I stream the fights?
The fights will be available to stream on mobile devices using the ESPN App.
The undercard begins at 5:10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Watch the undercard live on ESPN+ on the ESPN App
The full card:
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Title fight: Josh Taylor vs. Teofimo Lopez Jr., 12 rounds, for Taylor’s WBO junior welterweight title
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Xander Zayas vs. Ronald Cruz, 8 rounds, junior middleweights
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Jamaine Ortiz vs. Humberto Galindo, 10 rounds, lightweights
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Omar Rosario vs. Jan Carlos Rivera, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
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Damian Knyba vs. Helaman Olguin, 8 rounds, heavyweights
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Robson Conceicao vs. Nicolas Polanco, 10 rounds, junior lightweights
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Bruce Carrington vs. Luis Porozo, 8 rounds, featherweights
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Henry Lebron vs. Carlos Ramos, 10 rounds, junior lightweights