WBO Super-Lightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez has called out Terence Crawford for a fight due to his frustration at inactivity in the 140lbs division, and believes the record of the unified welterweight king is overrated.
Lopez defeated the poster boy of the super-lightweight scene, Josh Taylor, last June to become a two-division world champion and claim the WBO title, but has yet to fight since, despite links to showdowns with Ryan Garcia and a unification bout with Subriel Matias.
In an interview with Boxing Social, Lopez slandered Crawford’s wins after saying he had looked to fight him recently.
“It has to be at 147lbs, I know they are talking about him and Spence and their rematch clause at 154lbs so whatever that case may be. When I beat Lomachenko, Crawford didn’t have no problem saying that he will come down and fight me, so what’s up? I’m not here to play games, I want to fight the best because that is what it is all about. I need to test myself and challenge myself and people are going to be like ‘ooh, that is a challenge’, the only challenge that I have in front of me is myself.”
“The fighters that Crawford fought were handicapped. Errol Spence just announced about his cataract and stuff. Jose Benavidez, when he fought him, he had a shot leg. Then there is that fighter that he faced and they tried to make in into a big thing and he was injured too? Kell Brook, with his eye. Every fighter that Crawford has faced throughout the 147lb division, whether it looks good on paper, they have been injured. I am healthy, fight the best fighter at a healthier weight.”
For now it seems that Crawford is tied up in a rematch with Errol Spence, although Spence’s recent eye surgery could allow him to fight in the interim. Meanwhile, Lopez will face Jamaine Ortiz next month..
