Fans React As Teofimo Lopez And Canelo Alvarez Spar – ‘Good For The Sport’
Teofimo Lopez and Canelo Alvarez sparred together, raising a strong reaction from fans.
The pair may be in different weight classes, but there is plenty for both to benefit from. Canelo faces Edgar Berlanga on September 14 at 168 pounds. Alvarez is the massive favorite, knowing a win could set up a potential Terence Crawford fight. That is where the connection to Lopez may come in.
Lopez is a 140-pound fighter who has expressed his desire to move up to welterweight. He did call out Crawford numerous times, who is currently at 154. Bud defeated Israil Madrimov to win the WBA belt in his last fight. Lopez would have to move up two weight classes to fight Crawford, meaning some work against a heavier fighter in Canelo could prepare him for that.
Canelo And Lopez
Meanwhile, Canelo would feel what it is like to face a much smaller fighter if he were to face Crawford. But outside of that, Canelo praised Lopez as he felt The Takeover deserved the Crawford fight ahead of him. The following video shows them both sparring lightly, after which Lopez hits the punch bag. The workout will aid Lopez’s desire to become the best by learning from the ‘face of boxing.’ Canelo’s prior comments showed he respects Lopez, as does the Takeover for Canelo.
“I’m not asking for that fight. I think Teofimo Lopez deserves it more than me. My response to Turki is this – yesterday they text me to talk about the Crawford fight in February and I said, ‘I’m not gonna talk about any other fight. I’m focused 100% on this [Edgar Berlanga] fight.’ I respect Turki. But if he wants to work with me, it needs to be my way,” Canelo said
Lopez also praised Canelo, who backed him in beating Crawford in any potential fight.
“I think Canelo is just too big for him. He’s too big, realistically. Too big, too strong and used to that weight class, so you can be a boxer and all those things but it is what it is. Canelo is still the face of boxing and the guy everyone wants to fight, Crawfod wouldn’t want the fight if Canelo wasn’t the face of boxing. It’s a money grab, it’s a money fight,” Lopez stated
Lopez’s Future
While Canelo is the face of boxing, Lopez is struggling to make the biggest fights. This is despite his achievements. He is a two-weight and two-time lineal champion at 140 and 147. He has been trying to make the biggest fights with links to Crawford and Ryan Garcia. However, Lopez has been accused of having poor commercial value and not selling enough.
He faced the former Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor in his hometown. While he beat Taylor via a unanimous decision, he failed to sell out for a big bout. Lopez is looking for nine-figure paydays, which harms his chances of getting into big bouts. But by training with Canelo, he can no doubt pick up a few things.
Comments
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
