Teofimo Lopez Tells Isaac Cruz – ‘I’m Ready’
Teofimo Lopez has called out Isaac Cruz for a unification at 140 pounds.
Lopez, the WBO Junior Welterweight Champion, defended his title against Steve Claggett. The Takeover came out victorious in a one-sided unanimous decision. After five gritty rounds, Lopez turned the corner to dominate in the second half of the fight. Despite being a two-weight and two-time lineal champion, Lopez has been criticized for not being a big attraction. The Takeover is a fighter who produces his best in the biggest fights.
A loss to George Kambosos Jr. followed after he had dethroned Vasily Lomachenko.
Meanwhile, a poor performance against Sandor Martin was followed by a victory against former Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor. Now, Lopez is looking to make another big fight.
Lopez vs. Cruz
A bout with Cruz sells due to his huge Mexican fanbase. His victory against Rolando Romero to win the WBA belt saw him grab his first world title. Now, Lopez wants to set up the unification. However, since Cruz defends his title against Jose Valenzuela on August 3, a fight is unlikely to happen this year. If that does not happen, Lopez wanted Crawford.
“I’m ready for it [to face Cruz]. I’m 26. [And] I’m still learning in this game. Yes, I do. Nobody is going to fight like Steve Claggett. There’s only one fighter that is going to fight like him a little bit, and he’s smaller, and that’s Pitbull Cruz. Other than that, no other fighter fights that way at all. They all box. Crawford boxes. He doesn’t really slug in there. I do these types of fights for a reason,” Lopez said
Despite this, Chris Algieri advised Lopez to move up to 147. The primary reason was Lopez’s lack of knockout ability. He was hitting Claggett repeatedly, but his opponent refused to go anywhere. Lopez outlanded and outworked his opponent but never had him on the verge of being stopped.
Lopez’s Options
A fight with Crawford at 147 is risky since Bud has stopped all his opponents at welterweight. Meanwhile, a potential fight with Jaron Ennis is risky. Ennis has a 31-0 record with 28 KOs. While a fight with WBC Junior Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios could happen, Manny Pacquiao is the favorite to get that fight. Algieri has now advised Lopez to stay at 140 and pursue other fights.
“He’s talking about going to 147, which I really don’t advise. He hasn’t shown that same power that he had at 135 at 140. He’s 5-0 at 140 and he only has one KO, and that was against Pedro Campa early on. Even that, it was more of an attrition than a single shot. I think he has an opportunity to unify [at 140]. I’d favor him over all the other champions in the weight class. I think it would be a good idea for him to go collect some belts. He said at the end that belts are important. So, it would make sense for him to go collect some belts,” Chris Algieri stated
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