Ricky Hatton insists Josh Taylor should fight Teofimo Lopez in face-off between unified champions

A blockbuster clash of unified champions against Teofimo Lopez would be a ‘defining fight’ for Josh Taylor, according to Ricky Hatton.  

The Tartan Tornado seized the WBO and WBC belts to add into his collection last weekend, flooring Jose Ramirez twice before his arm was raised via unanimous decision. 

Now, Britain’s first and only undisputed champion of the four-belt era has opened the door to some gigantic fights. Taylor has already said that moving up to welterweight for a clash with fellow four-belt king Terence Crawford would be ‘awesome’, but there’s more on the table.  

Josh Taylor is the undisputed light-welterweight champion after wiping-out Jose Ramirez 

Next the Scottish fighter could face-off against fellow unified champion Teofimo Lopez

‘It was unbelievable what Josh accomplished. It was a great day for British boxing and I still think the best is yet to come from him,’ Hatton told Metro. 

‘Maybe the next move will be a move to welterweight. Or, you’ve got what would be a good fight against Teofimo Lopez, he could move up from lightweight no problem.

‘Then Josh is getting his defining fight in the sense that it is against a real big name. He has won five world titles, is undisputed super-lightweight champion but then you get the defining fights that follow.

‘I had my first world title against Kostya Tszyu before Luis Collazo, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. He has won all the titles, now he is going to get that big defining name. And no one deserves it more than him. 

Ricky Hatton has insisted Taylor ‘deserves’ his defining fights after securing the fourth belt 

Terence Crawford is an option Taylor has called ‘awesome’ if he makes a move to welterweight  

‘People always have their eye on the welterweight division. But there are a lot of names in that lightweight division that could move up. The lightweight division is probably the best division in boxing at the moment.

‘Some of the talent in that division… if one of them can move up, Josh gets a defining name right there.’   

At 23-years-old and undefeated after 16 fights, Lopez is one of boxing’s brightest young stars, having stunned Vasiliy Lomachenko late last year. 

The former No.1 rated pound-for-pound icon was felled by unanimous decision, setting up an exciting path for Lopez.