(October 14, 2020) — Two-plus years of bad blood ignited Wednesday evening when WBC Franchise/WBO/WBA lightweight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko and IBF kingpin Teofimo Lopez shared the stage for Wednesday’s press conference in advance of Saturday’s super fight (ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET).
Lomachenko and Lopez had not been in the same room since last Dec.14, the night Lopez knocked out Richard Commey to win his world title. Shortly after that sensational knockout, Lomachenko entered the ring and welcomed Lopez to his club.
The lightweight champions sat 12 feet apart on a stage inside the ring. The tension never boiled over, but it was palpable. This is what they had to say.
Vasiliy Lomachenko
“I won’t know {how the layoff will impact me} until Saturday night. I have never been out of the ring for one full year like this. Ever. I don’t know how it will be.”
“I think it’s just a ring and judges and TV. That’s it. And, of course, four belts.”
“I’m thinking only about my future fight and the fight on Saturday. That’s it.”
“For me, I think it will be a chess match.”
Teofimo Lopez“Hard work pays off. Eighteen years in, and it’s just the beginning, You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“The Takeover is not just a phrase we throw out there. This is the part where I’m leading the new generation. Winning this is a stamp and a mark to put on for the new era.”
“Get your popcorn ready and just enjoy the show. It’s ‘The Takeover.'”
“A true champion can adapt to everything. It goes for both of us. He fought in arenas sold out. I fought in arenas sold out. My job and my thing are having all of these belts wrapped around me.”
Schedule of Live Lomachenko vs. Lopez content on ESPN Platforms (HERE for full schedule for Lomachenko vs. Lopez)
| Date | Time (ET) | EVENT | Network |
| Fri, 10/16 | 5:00 p.m. | Top Rank: Lomachenko vs. Lopez Weigh-In Special (LIVE) | ESPN2 |
| 5:30 p.m. | Max on Boxing: Lomachenko vs. Lopez Weigh-In Special (LIVE) | ESPN2 | |
| Sat., 10/17 | 7:30 p.m. | Top Rank Boxing on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Lopez (Undercard) (LIVE) | ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ |
| 10:00 p.m. | Top Rank on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Lopez (Main Card) (LIVE) | ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ |
Main Card, Undercards and Early Undercards (All times ET)
| 10:00 PM | Main | Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez | ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ |
| Co-Feature | Alex Saucedo vs. Arnold Barboza Jr. | ||
| Feature | Edgar Berlanga vs. Lanell Bellows | ||
| 7:30 PM | Undercards | Kendo Castaneda vs. Josue Vargas | ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ |
| Quatavious Cash vs. Quincy LaVallais | |||
| Jose Enrique Vivas vs. John Vincent Moralde | |||
| Jan Carlos Rivera vs. Quinton Randall | |||
| Jahi Tucker vs. Charles Garner |
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