Teofimo Lopez Jr. is calling his shots and taking some too.
The WBO junior welterweight champion Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) recently rejected a Sept. 27 fight date at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York on ESPN. A matchup against recently elevated WBO welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jr. was on the table.
But Lopez believes there are bigger fish to fry, and he is now focused on reeling in Terence Crawford, among others, following “Bud’s” close unanimous decision win against Israil Madrimov for the WBA junior middleweight title.
“Now that we have Riyadh Season in the mix, why can’t we make a Crawford and Teofimo fight happen? We’re in the house now. Make it happen,” Lopez told BoxingScene. “More money doesn’t cause more problems. More money causes more boxing.
“Absolutely I can [move up to 154 pounds]. And I will. Just send me the date. I am walking at 155 pounds right now. I can fight Crawford right now.
“I didn’t expect for age to catch up with Crawford so quickly [against Madrimov]. I thought it would happen at 38 and not 36.
“Everyone had high expectations of Crawford – he even had high expectations against Madrimov. But this is boxing, and things happen like this. This is probably good learning for him. He couldn’t figure out his moves and feints. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken so long coming back [after the Errol Spence fight in 2023]. But to each his own. I wasn’t Terence Crawford in that fight. I’m Teofimo and I look forward to facing him in the coming year.”
Lopez has previously hinted that he’d entertain a Crawford fight at a catchweight and that he’d destroy and end the Nebraskan’s career if they ever met.
Crawford has clapped back by calling Lopez a chump, telling him: “Your little bitch ass better worry about them little guys that’s on yo ass down there in yo weight class.”
Lopez leaping up to 154 pounds would require him to bypass the 147-pound weight class. But Lopez is open to facing the welterweight division’s top dog, too, in IBF titleholder Jaron Ennis, in addition to Norman.
“To be honest, whatever plans they have. I have nothing but respect for Boots,” said Lopez. “We’ve known each other a long time. We won the National Golden Gloves together in 2015. We were both 17 years old. If people want to see it, then we’ll do it. I don’t say no to any fight. As long as it’s eye-catching and eye candy to everyone who’s watching, that’s what really matters.”
Lopez said he passed on his September fight date because he wanted to fight in Southern California, and not because the date fell on a Friday, as some reports have suggested.
“I didn’t duck or dodge Brian Norman at all,” said Lopez. “Look, I love New York. I love Madison Square Garden. I fought nine times there throughout my career. It’s a home for me. I fought in Las Vegas four times. I just want to try a different avenue, with all due respect, and fight in Los Angeles. I’ve never fought in LA and I want to. And I’ll still fight Brian Norman this year. Crawford just fought. I am sure he wants to take some time to be with his family. I still want to stay active. I’m ready.
“I fought on a fucking Thursday [in February against Jamaine Ortiz] for crying out loud. It’s just making the right decisions for me now. It’s something that I didn’t do when I was younger, and I am doing it now. That’s really it. I don’t duck anyone. You should know this by now. Don’t listen to any of these false narratives. All I am doing is just dictating and taking care of my career. We put our lives in there, and I am at that point now where I have earned it.”
Lopez said earlier this year that he was looking for more activity in 2024, and so far he’s gotten it, beating Ortiz in February and Steve Claggett in June. Before that, beat former undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor in June 2023 for the WBO belt he now holds.
But despite the opportunities, Lopez still appears irritated with Top Rank. Earlier this year, Lopez claimed his career-long promoter gave him too many “take it or leave it” offers.
“I need a promoter and network that is going to push me,” said Lopez. “I’m not saying ESPN is not doing its part, however, it’s not what it was before in the beginning, and that’s what I don’t approve of. I don’t appreciate it. I’m the only star that they have left. With everything that I have done for Top Rank and ESPN, I believe that it’s time. Just do what I ask. I have done so much for them for nearly eight years. I’m going to sit back and let God do the rest for me. I look forward to coming back again this year. We’ll see when.
“I have conquered the [140-pound] division. There is no one at 140. Everyone lost. Nobody wanted to fight us. They went the wrong route, and everybody is out. What more can a guy do? I look forward to making more history. We’ll go to 147 and be a three-division world champion at 27. That sounds great. And then from there, we’ll go to 154. Or we’ll just jump to 154, because we can do it.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
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