Terence Crawford reacted with surprise on social media at hearing WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez call him out, talking about wanting a catchweight following his victory over Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday night at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Crawford said, “Teofimo is just trying to use my name for promotion,” and he could be right.
Lopez’s Shaky Win Signals Need for Cash Out
Teofimo does seem kind of in need for a big payday because his performance tonight against Jamaine Ortiz (17-2-1, 8 KOs) showed that he won’t be holding onto his WBO 140-lb title for much longer.
Top Rank can’t just shovel any given fighter in the ring to artificially keep Teofimo as the WBO belt-holder without it hurting his popularity. Fans want to see him fighting notable opposition, like Subriel Matias, Devin Haney, and Jaron Ennis.
Teofimo lost the fight in the eyes of fans, as he was outboxed the entire 12-round contest by fringe contender Ortiz.
That effort from Teo showed that it’s very important that he gets a big-money fight against someone like Crawford, Ryan Garcia, or Devin Haney as soon as possible because he’s a vulnerable champion.
What we saw tonight is that Teofimo hasn’t improved since his loss to George Kambosos Jr. and his dubious win over Sandor Martin in 2022. He’s the same fighter, just older and more basic.
I’m Younger and Prettier”: Lopez’s Desperation
“I’m a champion. I bleed for this, I sweat for this and I cried for this every time,” said Teofimo Lopez to ESPN after his fight with Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday night. “I’ll fight Crawford at a catchweight. I’m here; I’m ready. I’m hungry, I’m younger, and I’m prettier.”
“I had to get two guys to jump him because I got to fly to get these guys. It’s crazy, man. I tried my best to do what I could for the people. I even tried to box going backward,” said Teofimo when asked why he couldn’t cut off the ring on Ortiz.
