Teofimo Lopez has confirmed that he is still looking for Terence Crawford next following his victory over Steve Claggett last Saturday.
Fans believe that Teofimo is longing for a pay day to fight Crawford and knows that he will not win that fight.
Crawford Fight Desperate Campaign
The decline in Teofimo’s game is great because he is not the fighter he was four to six years ago. Something has changed in him, it’s hard to say because he is still young at 26 years old.
The way Teofimo looked against Claggett and the recent fights against Jamaine Ortiz and Sandor Martin suggest that he is going downhill. Hence, Crawford’s tireless campaigning.
Lopez successfully defended his WBO light welterweight title with a twelve-round unanimous decision over Claggett (38-8-2, 26 KOs) at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.
He won with scores of 120-108, 120-108 and 119-110. But Teo’s eyes were swollen shut by the end of the fight from Claggett’s many punches. At first, Claggett was strong and energetic. After the sixth, he faded, his work rate and energy decreased.
It was another fight where Teofimo was forced to go the full distance of twelve rounds, showing that his strength is not the same in the 140 lb weight class as it was in the 135.
Triple Crown Policy and Retirement Speeches
Teofimo, who was promoted to Top Rank, says he may retire if he wins Crawford’s fight. However, the chances of facing Terence are slim, and it seems like a joke to the fans that Teo keeps calling him.
Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) says he wants to win a triple to become a three-division world champion, and feels Crawford is on his target list. If Teofimo, 26, can’t get Crawford, he wants Brian Norman Jr. for that purpose.
“I’m a risk taker. So, 147, a three-division world champion at the age of 27, sounds like a good ring to me,” said Teofimo Lopez on Title Sports Network when asked if he would like to move up to welterweight after his victory over Steve Claggett last Saturday. at night in Miami.
It’s hard to take Teofimo seriously when he says he’s a risk taker, because if he was, he wouldn’t have fought Claggett. He has eight losses on his record.
Teofimo hasn’t taken any serious risks since his 2020 fight with Vasily Lomachenko. Lopez’s fight with George Kambosos Jr. was thought to be an easy entry, but the Australian defeated him in his 2021 defeat. All the fights since then because Teofimo was not dangerous.
Road to Crawford: Brian Norman Jr. and Welterweight Move
If Teofimo is willing to take the risk, he should face Brian Norman for the WBO welterweight title and use the win to build public pressure for a fight with Crawford,
“I’m looking forward to another inheritance. Whether Brian Norman is the next guy or Crawford,” said Teofimo. “People think I bite off more than I can chew. I don’t care. It’s the best fight. The hardest fight of all, and whoever wins in the end. That is Teofimo Mthatheli.
It seems clear to the fans that Teofimo’s reason for wanting to fight Crawford is purely for money. Teofimo doesn’t fight at 147 or 154 to put himself in a position to get Crawford’s fight, and he doesn’t fight the right opposition at 140 to increase his popularity.
“Yes, I do. I want Terence Crawford. I don’t care what people think. If you think I’m a chump and a simpleton, knock it off. Finish me. I want Terence Crawford. He is the only last guy to win me three titles. For me, you are the last one, maybe I can hang up after that,” said Teofimo.
Crawford will not fight Teofimo because he is looking to fight Canelo Alvarez, but he needs to win his August 3 fight first against WBA junior middleweight champion Israel Madrimov. It is not clear whether that battle was Crawford’s idea or His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s.
Given that it’s Turki’s card on August 3rd, it seems reasonable to assume that he came up with the idea for Crawford to fight Madrimov.
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