Teofimo Lopez scolded Richardson Hitchins on social media for pricing himself out by demanding $2.5 million+ for a unification fight against him at light welterweight. Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) instead went with the less expensive Arnold Barboza Jr. as his next opponent for Turki Alalshikh’s event on Times Square in New York City on May 2nd. Teo says offered “upwards of $1 million” for the fight against him.

Overpriced?

$2.5 million+ sounds like a huge amount of money for Hitchins, who is seen as a replica of Shakur Stevenson but with much more power and a more entertaining style. However, Hitchins still isn’t exciting to watch, and that’s why his career hasn’t taken off despite being promoted by Eddie Hearn. Hearn is not giving him a major promotional push like he does with fighters who move the needle with the fans.

Shakur gets more attention than Hitchins because he works like a demon on X, posting nonstop, and has gained a lot of fans that way, even though his fighting style is at the bottom basement level in terms of entertainment.

Choosing his WBO mandatory Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) could backfire on Lopez, as he could lose to this fighter, who is one of the best talents in the 140-lb division. WBO light welterweight champion Teo obviously views Barboza as a walk in the park for him over Richardson, but this could go badly for him.

The Villain Persona 

Teofimo’s post on X wasn’t the friendliest. He used racist terms to insult and dismiss the worthiness of IBF light welterweight champion Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs). Some fans see this as a calculated move by Lopez to adopt the villain persona to attract fans by being hated. It’s like a professional wrestler insulting the crowds and their opponents and cheating to win. In Teo’s case, he uses racist talk.

To be Real, you were looking for $2.5M’s or more. @Turki_alalshikh believed you weren’t worth that. Barboza was offered “I think” upwards of $1 million for the fight!

We can squabble afterward; You charcoal stick lookin’ MF’er. #FatalFury https://t.co/CsTzS2aP2q

— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) February 28, 2025