Teofimo Lopez has made a tentative pick for the undisputed welterweight fight between Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford.
Between them, the pair have all the pieces of the puzzle to crown the first four-belt champion in the 147lbs division, and have delighted boxings fans by finally putting pen to paper.
Lopez – who has recently saw a career resurgence with a comfortable win over Josh Taylor to become two-weight world champ – told Fight Hub TV that he was leaning towards Spence. It’s by no means a firm pick, though.
“It’s a good question man. I’ve been asked this and I still to this day find it a hard decision. Part of me sides with Spence – only reason being he’s good at body shots. Accurate with them. He knows when to throw them. Southpaw. He’s a little bit more tall, lanky.
I think that he’ll read Crawford a bit more. And also, on top of that, he has the ring generalship, he has the experience. He’s faced top-calibrated fighters. He’s collected each belt from each one.”
Lopez had plenty of good things to say about Crawford, too – but did brand the 39-0 star ‘chinny.’ It’s not something many in the sport would agree with. He also stated that the fight will not be going for the full twelve rounds.
“Crawford does things in the ring that nobody has ever seen in boxing.”
“What Crawford does is very dangerous for you to try and deal with. He’s ambidextrous. He goes southpaw, goes orthodox. He’s able to counter when you’re throwing. It’s a great match up. A great fight. Crawford’s a bit chinny but to what extent? Spence is the bigger guy at 147, I think he’s a bit stronger.”
“I know for a fact though, one thing’s for sure, this fight is not gonna go the distance.”
Lopez went on to say that he thinks Spence has faced the tougher competition, but that whoever dictates the jab on the night will likely come out on top.
This breakdown from the Brooklyn native sums up the intrigue of the fight well – and it’s a good thing fans will finally get to see if play out on July 29.