Teofimo Lopez slams Terence Crawford for picking “soft” opponents, rubbishes allure of potential Canelo Alvarez matchup

Teofimo Lopez is set to return to the ring on Thursday, Feb. 8, as he faces Jamaine Ortiz. The bout will mark his first WBO and The Ring light welterweight title defense as he will look to retain both belts after capturing them when he defeated Josh Taylor via unanimous decision in June 2023.

'The Takeover', who recently revealed that he wants to face Terence Crawford, claimed that the two-time undisputed champion picks soft opponents. Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, Lopez stated:

"I'm going to say it here. Terence 'Bud' Crawford likes to go after guys that are not the same or they're injured. And I'll say it right here, a lot of his fights that he has had, he has faced injured fighters. Now, he wants to face someone - what are the chances - of Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is on the decline. Saul - whether he likes it or not - it is the truth. He's had his rise, now he's starting to depreciate. We can see it, he's getting heavier, getting hefty, real flat footed. He's not as light as before."

Lopez continued:

"Who's going to want to jump on that? Terence 'Bud' Crawford because it looks good. He beats the face of boxing, however, you fought a guy that's on the decline... You're not a tough guy. You just fight soft guys that make it seem like they're tough guys just so that you can be the guy, but he's no guy. Why can't you fight me? I'm fresh and I'm new and I'm clean. Why can't we fight? Why can't you shut up the young buck?"

Check out Teofimo Lopez's comments on Terence Crawford below:

Despite Lopez's claims that Canelo Alvarez is on the decline, he is younger than Crawford and has looked strong in his last three bouts. Furthermore, moving up three weight classes and defeating the undisputed super middleweight champion will do far more for 'Bud's legacy than bringing 'The Takeover' up a weight class.

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Teofimo Lopez claims Terence Crawford won't beat Canelo Alvarez

Despite claiming that Canelo Alvarez is on the decline, Teofimo Lopez believes that he will still defeat Terence Crawford. Following his comments on The MMA Hour, 'The Takeover' took to X, stating:

"& even with the decline, he still won’t beat @Canelo . Too strong & too big !"

Check out Teofimo Lopez's tweet on Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez below:

Alvarez fights at 168 pounds, while Crawford has never competed higher than 147 pounds. Despite this, the latter has claimed that he is looking to challenge himself by facing the former.