---
title: "Teofimo Lopez Eyeing Up Clear Path To Force Fight With ‘Ugly’ Terence Crawford"
canonical: "https://boxing-social.com/news/lopez-eyeing-path-to-force-crawford-fight/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Tom Eaton"
section: "News"
published: "2024-02-17T17:00:00Z"
modified: "2024-02-17T17:00:00Z"
---

# Teofimo Lopez Eyeing Up Clear Path To Force Fight With ‘Ugly’ Terence Crawford

WBO super-lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez has been calling out the arguable pound-for-pound number one Terence Crawford in recent weeks, and now Lopez has discovered that there is a way to enforce the bout.

Crawford was left without an opponent following Errol Spence Jr’s cataract surgery, which put an end to the chances of a rematch, despite the latter activating his rematch clause.

Instead, Lopez has offered to jump up to 147lbs after just four contests at super-lightweight and take on the unified champion of the welterweight division.

However, ‘The Takeover’s’ below-par performance against Jamaine Ortiz last week seemed to render the clash dead in the water, after [Crawford labelled the 26-year-old as ‘crazy’ and claimed his win was gifted.](https://wp.boxing-social.com/news/terence-crawford-slams-crazy-teofimo-lopez/)

Yet, [speaking to Punsh Drunk Boxing](https://youtu.be/n4-Y_Sf14wA?si=1K-I08I11ObSOJRd), Lopez has revealed that he is open to petitioning to the WBO to enforce him as a mandatory challenger for Crawford, in accordance with their rules when one of their champions moves up in weight.

> “You just gave me a good idea, yeah I should \[petition to the WBO to make me a mandatory challenger for Crawford\].
>
> “I ain’t never petitioned in my life, you know that?
>
> “Crawford is a human just like me, we bleed the same. He’s just uglier. That mother\*\*\*\*a is ugly. F\*\*\*ing ugly. I don’t even know how this man gets jawns \[girls\], that n\*\*\*a is ugly. He even fights ugly, if I’m going to be real with y’all.”

We have seen this WBO rule used effectively with Emanuel Navarrete, who has progressed from super-bantamweight to lightweight, picking up WBO belts in each division and fighting for a vacant WBO crown on both occasions that he has moved up in weight thus far.

[‘Vaquero’ will likely fight for the vacant WBO lightweight title against Denys Berinchyk in the coming months](https://www.boxingscene.com/navarrete-berinchyk-talks-progress-nearing-deal-vacant-wbo-lightweight-title-fight--181413), as the Mexican aims for a hat-trick of vacant WBO straps.