Teofimo Lopez Says He'd 'Only' Return to Boxing on $100M+ Contract After Retiring

It's only been a day since Teofimo Lopez retired from boxing, and he's already setting a price for his return.

Lopez told the PorterWay Podcast that he would return to the sport if he's given a "nine-figure contract."

"The only way you get Teofimo back is a nine-figure contract deal because I've made ESPN over $100 million, and I'm still getting paid $1 million a fight," Lopez said. "All these other fighters that have not even done a quarter of what I've done and accomplished in the sport, they're getting $8, $10, $12, $15 million. So, obviously, I'm the black sheep of the industry."

Lopez announced his retirement Sunday, just hours after earning a unanimous-decision victory over Josh Taylor.

The result was a return to form for Lopez, who had seen his star fade in the boxing world since his November 2021 loss to George Kambosos Jr. His most recent fight prior to defeating Taylor was a shaky split-decision victory over Sandor Martin.

In the immediate aftermath of his win over Taylor, it was apparent the criticism had been weighing on Lopez.

"I need to take a break," Lopez said, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN. "I'm tired of everybody bullying me. I'm young. I'm a kid, too, at heart. I think y'all need to go after the Devin Haneys, the Shakurs, the Tyson Furys and all that."

Given the fact that Lopez has retired and then opened the door for an unretirement within 48 hours of the bout, the overwhelming odds are we'll see him in the ring again. It's unlikely he'll get a nine-figure payday—those are reserved for the true upper echelon—but Lopez should see a notable raise after his impressive performance Saturday night.

At age 25 and with only 20 professional fights under his belt, Lopez likely has a decade's worth of prime-level fights—and purses—remaining in his career. If the public criticism weighs on him to the point it's taken the joy out of boxing, then a full retirement is something he should consider. Any fighter knows you can't go into the ring with half-hearted motivation and come out whole.

That said, if the "retirement" amounts to a monetary ploy, well, it's boxing. We probably should have seen this coming.