By Dan Ambrose: Teofimo Lopez says he wants the newly minted undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez to defend his titles next against Jermall Charlo instead of David Benavidez.
The three-belt lightweight champion Teofimo feels that Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) is the better fight for Canelo than the former two-time WBC super middleweight champion Benavidez.
Interestingly, Teofimo states that Charlo will make for a much more exciting fight for Canelo than Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs).
Teofimo doesn’t say why he believes that, but perhaps it’s the drama that Charlo brings to his fights.
He’s the type of fighter that can be hurt, and given his weak resume, which is similar to that of Caleb Plant’s, you don’t know if he’ll fall apart against Canelo.
Teofimo wants Canelo to fight Charlo next
“It was a great fight. Caleb Plant should have shown more, but he didn’t,” said Teofimo to Fighthype about last Saturday’s Canelo vs. Plant fight. “I don’t know if he was just being cautious.
“Charlo, I would say Charlo would be a better fight for Canelo,” said Teofimo when asked if Charlo or David Benavidez would be a better fight for Alvarez’s next contest in 2022.
“Why Charlo? It’s pretty much diverse. Charlo is someone that has been trying to make big fights happen, and Canelo has always been willing to step up to it.
“For me, stylistic-wise, Charlo is a dog and a lion. Like they say, lions only. I feel like he’s going to go out there and try to find a way to put the hurting into Canelo. It’ll make for a much more exciting fight.
“Charlo tries to box as well. It depends on what night they’re having on that night. I feel like that would be a great match-up for boxing.
“I wouldn’t say winning the fight, but I think he could have made it more of what people wanted from the beginning.
“But Canelo found a way to finish at the end,” said Teofimo. “It was a great fight and a great look for all of us, and I’m very happy about it,” said Teofimo.
It’s a little strange that Teofimo prefers for Canelo to fight Jermall Charlo next rather than former two-division world champion David Benavidez because that’s arguably a much easier fight for the Mexican star.
Jermall (32-0, 22 KOs) is quickly getting a reputation of being a cherry-picker when it comes to defending his WBC middleweight title, and he looked terrible in his last fight against Juan Marcias Montiel last June.
Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) is considered the far more significant threat to Canelo than Charlo, and some boxing fans believe the superstar is avoiding him.
Plant didn’t activate
“Number one, definitely number one,” said Teofimo when asked where Canelo ranks in terms of the most exciting fighters he likes to watch.
“Canelo is not just any regular. It was a great fight for both guys and a great finish for Canelo. I thought he had in his bag to do it. That was my only concern.
“You could see it in the middle of the rounds when Canelo was on the ropes; he [Plant] didn’t really activate at that moment.
“He didn’t show anything. That just comes with confidence. You got to have it, but it was a great fight. He was executing well, Caleb Plant, but Canelo started adapting, and he finished him.
“He [Canelo] did great. And he started to adapt, change levels, and cutting the corners. And he did phenomenal tonight. Him and Eddy Reynoso did a good job, they had a great game plan, and I’m very happy for Canelo right now.
“I thought it would start out even in a way, Caleb and Canelo, but I saw Canelo winning in the later rounds. I said nine or ten rounds, but he finished in the 11th. They [Canelo] had the better game plan, and they executed.
“I felt like Plant was holding off a little bit, but that’s my opinion. Canelo did his thing tonight. Caleb Plant, we’ve got to give him his kudos for stepping up to the plate like that and defending his title for something he’s worked so hard for,” Teofimo said of Plant.
It appeared that Plant was afraid of being countered by Canelo, and that’s why he didn’t take advantage of the situation when the Mexican star was fighting with his back against the ropes.
Josh Taylor slams Teofimo
“It’s a blessing, but the work has still got to be put,” said Teofimo to ESNEWS when asked about his thoughts of posing next to new undisputed 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez last Saturday.
“I know a lot of people have question marks on me now,” Teofimo continued. “On November 27th, I’ll just put exclamation points back on. I’m going to let everyone know that I’m not here on no lucky tip. It’s all about doing what I did [beat Vasily Lomachenko], and that was against all odds.
“After Canelo, Teofimo is next, as you guys seen what happened today. That’s Canelo’s way of passing the torch,” said Teofimo.
1 undisputed 1 disputed 🤣 https://t.co/TFzwMhs2Nv
— Josh Taylor (@JoshTaylorBoxer) November 7, 2021
“That little Rat Teofimo parading in on Canelo’s with his Mickey Mouse WBC. What a f****ing brass neck. Embarrassing!” said Josh Taylor in reacting to Teofimo posing on stage with his belts alongside Canelo.
“The guy is so desperate it’s unreal. There are only two undisputed champs with ALL the belts. FACT!” said Taylor.
Teofimo trying to pass himself off as an undisputed champion alongside Canelo looked wrong in Taylor’s eyes. It gave the appearance of a person who was falsely trying to embellish their credentials.
If Teofomo wants to be the undisputed champion in the true sense, he needs to fight WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney and beat him. That’s the only belt missing from Teofimo’s collection, and he needs to get moving snd take that fight if he wants to call himself an undisputed champion.
While Teofimo is at it, it wouldn’t hurt for him to give Vasily Lomachenko a rematch so that he can show boxing fans that he’s capable of beating him when he’s 100% healthy rather than fighting with just arm, which was the case last year when Teo beat the injured Ukrainian fighter.
It did look to some boxing fans like Teofimo was trying to steal the spotlight away from Canelo in his moment of glory by getting up on the stage to pose with his four titles.
It should have been Canelo’s moment alone to show off his four titles for his new undisputed championship status. Instead, Teofimo hitched a ride by going up on stage with his IBF, WBA, WBO belts, and WBC Franchise title, which arguably isn’t a genuine belt.