Terence Crawford, the newly crowned WBA Super-Welterweight World Champion, is weighing his options for his next fight. Meanwhile, Teofimo Lopez claims he'll face Crawford in 2025.
Crawford, 37, from Omaha, recently added the WBA Super-Welterweight World Title to his collection by beating Israil Madrimov. This win made him a champion in his fourth weight class. With a perfect 41-0 record, Crawford's now looking for his 42nd opponent.
The champ has a few choices. He could defend his new title, try to unify the belts, or move up in weight again. Crawford seems to prefer the latter, with his dream fight being against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez at super-middleweight. But that match-up looks unlikely for now.
Enter Teofimo Lopez, a two-weight world champion himself. Lopez has been chasing a fight with Crawford for a while, using some strange tactics to get his attention. He's been vocal with his challenges, made controversial statements, and even tried some inappropriate approaches. Lopez thinks his strategy has worked.
On Instagram Live, Lopez made a bold claim:
"Yes. Next year I promise you guys that fight is gonna happen. Sometime in the summer next year or closer to the fall 2025. It's an amazing year for The Takeover, you guys don't want to miss it, man. We got a lot of great fights to come up. I'm hearing rumours of the negotiations between me and Devin Haney. Right now, sorry to say this is all false until further notice."
Lopez has successfully defended his WBO 140-pound belt twice, beating Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett on points. But to face Crawford, he'd need to jump up two weight classes.
Crawford hasn't shared Lopez's enthusiasm about the potential fight. The closest he's come to engaging with Lopez was offering to fight him outside the ring.
For now, Crawford's being picky about his next opponent, and rightly so. He's at super-welterweight, while Lopez fights at 140 pounds. Any match between them would need some serious weight adjustments.
Will Crawford vs Lopez happen in 2025? We'll have to wait and see. But one thing's for sure - both fighters are keeping fans guessing about their next moves.
