“I aim for greatness,” Teofimo Lopez escalates beef with Terence Crawford by issuing call-out to the undefeated champion
The WBO super-lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez has called out the number one pound-for-pound boxer, Terence Crawford for a potential fight.
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Teofimo Lopez and Terence Crawford (image credit- Boxing Scene, DAZN)
Teofimo Lopez is set to fight against Jamaine Ortiz on February 8 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena. The fight will be Loepz’s first fight after his short-lived retirement. Subsequently, Lopez will return to the ring after defeating Josh Taylor in June 2023. However, ahead of the fight, Lopez seems to have focused more on Terence Crawford than on his opponent.
Though Lopez is set to defend his WBO super-lightweight belt, he seems to be directing his focus to Crawford. Currently, Terence Crawford is being hailed as the number-one pound-for-pound fighter. Furthermore, this was solidified after his stellar performance against Errol Spence Jr. in July 2023. Subsequently, Crawford’s status as the number-one pound-for-pound fighter has enticed Lopez into fighting him. In addition, this is what Lopez stated:
I aim for greatness. What is that? Fighting the best. Crawford says he’s the best, I know I’m the best, let’s make the fight happen.Teofimo Lopez on Terence Crawford
Lopez announced his desire to solidify his legacy and status as one of the greats in boxing. As such, Lopez already believed that he was the best, but he would like to prove it by taking on Crawford. However, Lopez also mentioned that he would first have to deal with Ortiz before doing any of that.
Similarly, Crawford is tied up with two potential fights, which might be against Spence or Jaron Ennis. Furthermore, Crawford had to vacate his IBF title after not fighting Ennis due to his rematch clause against Spence. However, Crawford’s next move is debatable now that Spence has gone through an eye surgery.
Teofimo Lopez claims Terence Crawford’s opponents had handicaps
Lopez has not just called out Crawford but has claimed that Crawford fights opponents with a particular handicap. Subsequently, he has also accused Crawford of fighting against inferior opponents throughout his career. This topic came up after Spence claimed to have lost against Crawford because of a cataract in his eyes.
Hence, Lopez touched on this subject in an interview with Boxing Social, and Lopez questioned Crawford’s career and legacy. Furthermore, Lopez brought up how Spence was not the only fighter with a handicap during the fight. As such, Loepz mentioned Jose Benevidez Jr., who had gotten shot in the leg.
In addition, Lopez also mentioned Kell Brook had an issue with his eye while fighting Crawford. Subsequently, Lopez stated that he was a healthy fighter, unlike the fighters that Crawford has fought, and asserted that Crawford should fight him.
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Abhijay Roy
(551 Articles Published)