Ryan Garcia made a lot of people reconsider the hierarchy in lightweight divisions through his performance against Devin Haney recently. However, Teofimo Lopez didn’t seem to be affected by it. In a recent pinch, the Brooklyn-born counter-puncher hailed Gervonta Davis as the best while branding ‘King Ry’ Garcia as the weakest link.

When did this happen? Well, the 26-year-old American boxer recently appeared in an interview with Punsh Drunk Boxing, where one of the fans asked Lopez’s opinion on who is the best and the weakest among Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, Subriel Matias, Devin Haney, and Shakur Stevenson. Here’s what the WBO super lightweight champion said!

Is Ryan Garcia really the weakest link? 

Answering the fan’s question, Lopez wasted no time as he said, “Tank, I would say, is the best out of the bunch.” When the reporter tried to confirm Lopez’s assessment, which suggested Davis was the best and Matais was the weakest, Lopez quickly added, “Including Ryan, yeah.” It’s worth mentioning that Haney has been part of the pound-for-pound list for quite a while.

However, after his devastating loss to Ryan Garcia last weekend, he was taken out of it. So, an argument could be made that Garcia, at least, ranks higher than Haney. Not to mention, when Garcia fought Davis, he was drained at a lower weight and wasn’t allowed to rehydrate because of a rehydration clause in their contract. 

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On top of that, Garcia has fought two of the best in the list, while the rest of the contenders in the list haven’t. However, the question is, if Ryan Garcia is the weakest of the bunch, why hasn’t Lopez fought him yet?

Teofimo Lopez on fighting ‘The Flash’ Garcia

Back in 2023, many were speculating on what would be the best next step for Ryan Garcia after suffering a loss at the hands of Gervonta Davis. Both Garcia and Lopez had seen their first career defeats, so many wanted to see Lopez and Garcia battle it out. And even an offer was made to the WBO super lightweight champion. 

While appearing in an interview with Fight Hype during the David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade fight event in Las Vegas, Lopez acknowledged the same while revealing his response to the offer. Lopez said, “No, I declined the offer,” as he ran away from any further questions about it. Lopez then went on to fight Jamaine Ortiz in February this year, a fight that saw a controversial unanimous decision in his favor. 

With that said, having already declined a fight offer against Ryan Garcia and despite Garcia’s fabulous performance against Haney, Teofimo Lopez is convinced the Victorville native is the weakest link. Do you agree with that assessment? Where do you think Lopez should be on that list?