Teofimo Lopez is an ambitious guy. He always has been and always will be. His confidence might be a bit over the top but so far, it’s all worked.
Beating Vasiliy Lomachenko when he was the consensus best fighter in the world wasn’t a pragmatic move but Lopez was convinced that he could get the job done. After doing what many believed was impossible, Lopez made it two in a row when he took Josh Taylor behind the woodshed in mid-2023.
Now, Lopez has another target…Terence Crawford. Although he’s viewed as a future Hall of Famer and the best fighter on the planet, according to many, Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) believes that he can give him a run for his money.
Bill Haney has paid close attention to Lopez’s brazen trash talk. While it might be entertaining to some, Haney didn’t find anything funny about it.
“Teofimo Lopez, if you don’t knock it off,” said Haney during a self-recorded video. “Talking about you want Bud Crawford.”
A matchup with Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is what Lopez wants but it doesn’t make any sense to Bill. Devin Haney, his son and slick-hitting star, currently holds a world title in the same weight class as Lopez after picking Regis Prograis a part.
The Haney’s are all about big matchups and even bigger paydays. A fight with Lopez would present them with both. Bill knows that Lopez will continue to do what he wants. With that said, he should simply leave Crawford alone and focus on a showdown against his son instead.
“Listen, act like you got some sense and we can make Haney vs. Lopez for the 140-pound unification. Act like you got some sense and stop talking about Bud Crawford. You don’t want none of Bud Crawford and you don’t deserve none. Knock it off.”
