Teofimo Lopez has changed his mind about who will win the big fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford. The match is set for Saturday, September 13, likely in Las Vegas, though the exact location isn't confirmed yet. It's for the undisputed super-middleweight championship and might be the biggest fight boxing can offer right now.
Lopez, the current WBO super-lightweight champion, initially thought Canelo would win. He told ES NEWS that Canelo would figure out Crawford's style and finish him in the later rounds. But now, Lopez is singing a different tune.
In a recent chat with FightHype, Lopez said:
"I'm going for Crawford, because then when he beats, you know let's say he beats Canelo, it gets ammunition so when I fight him, I beat Crawford."
Lopez's change of heart seems to be more about setting up his own future fights than anything else. He wants to use a potential Crawford win as a way to hype up a fight between them down the line.
It's worth noting that Lopez used to train with Canelo under Eddy Reynoso, but that's not the case anymore. As for Crawford, he's moving up in weight for this fight. He's mostly fought at 147 pounds as a welterweight, but recently moved up to 154 pounds. Last August, he beat Israil Madrimov to win the WBA world title at that weight. For the Canelo fight, he'll have to bulk up even more to 168 pounds.
The boxing world will be watching closely as these two champions get ready to face off. With so much on the line, it's no wonder even other fighters like Lopez are changing their predictions as the big day gets closer.
