Teofimo Lopez wants the opportunity to fight Terence Crawford before retiring after his fight with Canelo Alvarez.
Unfortunately for Teo, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is heading to 154 pounds to fight WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov for a world title on Aug. 3. If Crawford wins that bout, he'll either have a shot at another world championship at 154 pounds or move up two weight classes to challenge for Canelo's belt.
Lopez said he was willing to move up to 147 pounds to fight, and Crawford said he would drop down from 154 pounds to make the bout happen. Teofimo is open to a catchweight fight with Crawford. He just wants to fight Crawford and become champion for the third time.
Teofimo (20-1, 13 KOs) sees the 36-year-old Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) fighting the reigning super middleweight champion Canelo for one last big payday before retiring from boxing. Crawford turns 37 in September and is a grandfather in the world of boxing.
Crawford focuses on Canelo's vision
The money Crawford could make fighting Teofimo is nothing compared to what he could make fighting Canelo, that is his goal and there is no point in jeopardizing that fight by fighting the Young Lion Teofimo or Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
“Gervonta isn't going to fight me, he's too mean, so I want to fight a guy with too much ego, which is Terence Crawford,” Teofimo Lopez told Danza Project about why he wants to fight Crawford.
Clearly Crawford's ego isn't strong enough to make him want to fight Boots Ennis, David Benavidez or David Morrell. He knows his limitations and isn't going to risk losing to someone he's not confident he can beat before Canelo's payday.
“He's just doing it to get one more sack, and then he's like, 'I lost, I'm done with it.' It doesn't matter if he wins or loses, he's going to move up two more weight classes,” Canelo said of Crawford.
Crawford's Calculated Path
Of course, Crawford is looking to make Canelo his final fight, and if he beats Madrimov on August 3 and sets up a matchup between Crawford and Canelo next, it could hasten Crawford's retirement from boxing.
If Crawford loses to Madrimov, he'll be in big trouble, as it will ruin His Excellency's plans.
“Crawford's not stupid in that respect. Canelo's in a bit of a tailspin, but that's a money tree,” Teofimo said. “I think $50-100 million would be easy. I want to thank His Excellency and Turki Ararcik for trying to make boxing great again.”
Crawford chose to fight Canelo not because he is showing signs of slowing down, but because he wants to fight Canelo for the big money and the fame, and if he wins, his life will change in many ways.
“I'm in a situation where they don't even give me Crawford. I'm like, 'Hey, give me Crawford and I'll win three times,'” Teofimo said.