NEW YORK – Teofimo Lopez rejected Arnold Barboza Jr.’s assertion that The Ring and WBO junior welterweight champion avoided him while they were both promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc.

Lopez promised to batter Barboza on Friday night in a way that’ll make his undefeated rival realize that the reason they didn’t fight until now was all about business, not anything stylistic. Handicappers have installed Lopez as more than a 2-1 favorite, but the Brooklyn-born defending champion cannot envision Barboza being nearly as successful versus him as he was in successive victories over former WBC/WBO 140-pound champ Jose Ramirez and British southpaw Jack Catterall over the past five months.

“I’m gonna beat him bad,” Lopez told The Ring. “It’s gonna be bad. Well deserved, too. … I told him before. I told him, I said, ‘You’re just gonna get one of those where it’s like, be careful what you ask for.’ You know, it’s gonna be those types of ass whoopings for him. I look forward to it.”

The 27-year-old Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) will fight for the first time as part of The Ring’s “FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves” event since last June 29.

The former unified lightweight champion dominated Canadian Steve Claggett that night in what was widely condemned as a complete mismatch. Lopez out-pointed Claggett (39-8-2, 27 KOs) by scores of 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109.

Jamaine Ortiz pushed Lopez in Lopez’s prior appearance, a much more closely contested 12-rounder Lopez won by unanimous decision as well. Lopez defeated Ortiz (19-2-1, 9 KOs), of Worcester, Massachusetts, by scores of 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 in February 2024 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

An ever-confident Lopez expects to produce a performance in one of four fights DAZN Pay-Per-View will stream from Times Square in Manhattan comparable to his career-defining defeats of three-division champ Vasiliy Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) and former undisputed junior welterweight champ Josh Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs).

“Listen, I’m just here to go and do my part,” Lopez said. “And, you know, just stay focused on [the] task and having everyone see the best version of me – better than the Josh Taylor [fight] and the Lomachenko [fight]. So, that’s my whole goal, to outshine those performances and just show everyone that I’m only gonna get better as time progresses and I continue to work on my craft. I can care less about Barboza and what he has in store, cuz none of that is gonna matter, actually, come Friday night.”

Barboza (32-0, 11 KOs) has more momentum than at any point in a professional career the El Monte, California native launched nearly 12 years ago.

His split-decision defeat of Catterall (30-2, 13 KOs) earned Barboza the WBO interim 140-pound championship February 15 at Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England. The 33-year-old Barboza beat Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) more convincingly, which was just the type of win Barboza needed November 16 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Unheralded Irishman Sean McComb (then 18-1) tested Barboza in Barboza’s bout before he defeated Ramirez by unanimous decision in their 10-rounder. Barboza edged McComb by split decision in their 10-round bout on the Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney undercard.

Barboza’s recent run elevated him to the No. 3 spot in The Ring’s junior welterweight ratings.

“He’s going through this momentum stage, fighting these old guys, getting it as he can,” Lopez said. “But now we’re here and we’re gonna show him, you know, this is what happens. This is why every fighter, when they face me they end up running away. He’s gonna realize why. And then we got something for that, too.”

This event in Times Square costs $59.99 if purchased individually. DAZN has offered it as part of a bundle along with a second pay-per-view show in less than 24 hours for $89.99.

Mexican icon Canelo Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) and Cuba’s William Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) are set to fight in DAZN Pay-Per-View’s main event Saturday night at ANB Arena in Riyadh. Barring a draw, the Alvarez-Scull winner will emerge as boxing’s undisputed super middleweight champion, as they’ll fight for Alvarez’s Ring, WBA, WBC and WBO belts and Scull’s IBF crown.