Teofimo Lopez says he called out Terence Crawford and wants to fight him at 147, saying his best wins were against the injured fighters Errol Spence, Kell Brook, and Jose Benavidez Jr.
The Top Rank promoted Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs claims he wants to fight the best and that the three-division world champion Crawford is on his hit list.
Teofimo blasted Crawford’ for his victories against these injured warriors:
- Errol Spence: eye cataract
- Kell Brook: eye
- Jose Benavidez Jr: Coming off a gunshot wound
Lopez’s Motive: Ambition or Clout Chasing?
Top Rank might not be eager to put a fight together between Teofimo and Crawford, a fighter they used to promote. It’s unclear if Teofimo is using Crawford’s name for clout-chasing purposes to create interest in his upcoming fight against Jamaine Ortiz on February 8th on ESPN.
Unfortunately, boxing fans aren’t interested in the Teofimo vs. Ortiz fight, viewing it as another example of cherry-picking on Teo’s part to keep from beating again.
Top Rank should have nixed the idea of Teofimo fighting Jamaine because that fight is a complete zero in the eyes of fans. Ortiz was beaten by Vasily Lomachenko in 2022, and he’s done nothing to redeem himself.
Crawford: A Tough Sell for Top Rank?
The purse requirements of putting a fight together between the superstar Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) and Teofimo would involve a lot of risk on the part of Top Rank, who could hemorrhage money in a clash like this.
Both of these fighters would likely insist on massive guaranteed purses, which would put Top Rank over the barrel, hoping that the PPV revenue covers it.
“I did call out Crawford. I said if it presents itself, we’d fight. At 147. It has to be at 147. When I beat Lomachenko, Crawford didn’t have no problem saying he’d come down and fight me,” said Teofimo Lopez to Boxing Social.
“I’m not here to play games; I want to fight the best. The fighters Crawford fought were handicapped. Spence just announced about his eye, Jose Benavidez had a shot leg, and Kell Brook was injured too with his eye.
“Every fighter Crawford has faced at 147lbs has been injured. I’m healthy. Fight the best fighter at a healthier weight; let’s do it,” said Teofimo.
