Arum Targets Terence Crawford Vs. Teofimo Lopez – Bud Says ‘F**K Teo’
Bob Arum is willing to make Terence Crawford against Teofimo Lopez if the Takeover beats Jamaine Ortiz.
Lopez defends his WBO Junior Welterweight Title for the first time against Ortiz after beating Josh Taylor to acquire the belt. Before the fight, Lopez was already looking ahead to his next opponent, as he earmarked Crawford as a target.
The 140-pounder felt he had to get a win over Crawford to gain his ‘flowers.’ Lopez has shown he is unafraid to fight the best. He has beaten Vasiliy Lomachenko, Taylor and Richard Commey. He talked up the fight, calling out Crawford numerous times.
He also downplayed Crawford’s biggest wins. Lopez stated Kell Brook, Jose Benavidez Jr. and Errol Spence Jr. had issues coming into their fights. Crawford hit back at Lopez, telling him to focus on his own weight class. But Arum had Crawford at Top Rank before he left to secure the Spence fight, so he was willing to make that fight.
Arum On Crawford-Lopez
“I promote Teofimo. Teofimo says he wants that fight, and half of that fight, I can say, is going to happen or should happen. I don’t promote Terence Crawford any longer. It’s up to Terence Crawford to see if he wants that fight, and if he does, I’m sure we’ll be able to put it together.
“I certainly can’t talk at this particular point for Terence Crawford. It’s up to them. So, I can’t say if the fight is realistic or not realistic. From the standpoint of Teofimo, if he’s successful against Jamaine Ortiz [on Thursday night], yeah, sure the fight can happen,” Arum said
Crawford’s Trainer Reacts
Crawford’s trainer, Bomac, has other plans. He ruled out a fight with Jaron Ennis following the collapse of the Spence fight. This means the focus is on fights other than at 147. That will likely place Lopez at the back of the queue, with the aim being on targeting a super fight with Canelo Alvarez.
This is understandable as a victory over Canelo makes Crawford the first boxer to become a three-time undisputed champion in the four-belt era across three weight divisions. The Canelo fight is also the most lucrative one and the least riskiest since a loss does not damage his legacy. The pressure is on Canelo to get the win. That could pave the way for Lopez to try to get a fight with Ennis instead. But for Crawford, Bomac made it clear their intentions were elsewhere.
“No, he doesn’t bring nothing to the table. He got our leftovers. Why would Bud want to go backwards? Bud is looking for bigger and better fights so he can etch his name in the concrete forever,” Bomac stated
Crawford Reacts
That has been confirmed by Bud, who hit out at Lopez for calling him out.
“F**k Teo,” Crawford
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