Teofimo Lopez Passes On Devin Haney Fight for 'Personal Reasons,' Didn't Sign Contract

The co-manager for Teofimo Lopez said "personal reasons" led the WBO light welterweight champion to back out of negotiations with Devin Haney.

"We planned on fighting but with what was going on he wanted to make sure he was 100 percent right mentally and physically and August was just too quick of a turnaround," Keith Connolly told Ring Magazine. "I expect Teo to be back later this year, bigger and better than ever."

BoxingScene's Lance Pugmire reported Monday that Lopez and Haney signed on for an Aug. 16 fight in Saudi Arabia. They would be competing at a catchweight limit of 145 pounds.

On Tuesday, however, Haney posted on X that Lopez was "stalling" and hadn't yet signed the contract.

In a separate subplot, Lopez also made some pointed remarks about Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority and the man who would have promoted the fight.

Bill Haney, Devin's father and trainer, couldn't hide his exasperation over the saga in an interview with Coppinger.

"If Turki can't make these big fights happen, then we might have to pray to God, because I don't know what else it's going to take," he said. "But we're patient, and we believe. Devin's mission is real. His hit list is real. And we look forward to continuing our quest to cement his face on the Mount Rushmore of boxing."

Haney is now in a race against the clock to line up a replacement if he and Alalshikh want to stick with the Aug. 16 date. Any new opponent is unlikely to provide the same cachet Lopez did.

Lopez's immediate future is even murkier. He and his camp are hopeful of getting back in the ring this year, but the way in which these negotiations unraveled at the finish line won't help when he's ready to fight again.