Stephen Edwards says Teofimo Lopez needs to hold back on trying to get a fight against Terence Crawford after a tough fight against Jamaine Ortiz last Thursday night in Las Vegas.
Teofimo’s promoters at Top Rank know he can’t be trusted in a rematch with Jamaine or a fight against Subriel Matias. They’re likely to give him a fringe contender from the bottom this time for his next fight. Ortiz was ranked #11, and Teofimo couldn’t even beat him without a controversial decision.
Many fans believe WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo (20-1, 13 KOs) was gifted a decision by the Nevada judges due to his popularity. Edward feels that he’s not in the position to get a Crawford fight after that effort.
Teofimo and his promoters at Top Rank have said nothing about wanting to give Jamaine (17-2-1, 8 KOs) a rematch to clear up the controversy, so they’re going to have to pick the best possible opponent they can find and hope that he doesn’t struggle again.
Another controversial decision for Teofimo could destroy his career because this was his third in the last four years. Fans thought Teo lost to Sandor Martin, deserved a draw against Vasily Lomachenko, and should have lost to Jamaine.
Doubts Over a Crawford Match
“Maybe he’s one of those confident guys where a bad night at the office doesn’t bother him, which is great because that’s how you got to be as a fighter,” said Stephen Edwards to MillCity Boxing about Teofimo Lopez wanting Terence Crawford next after his controversial victory over Jamaine Ortiz last Thursday night.
Crawford is already looking for a fight with Canelo Alvarez or someone like Tim Tszyu or Jermell Charlo. He won’t want to face Teofimo with him coming off a controversial decision, especially when he thinks he deserved a loss.
“With the Terence Crawford fight specifically, I don’t know if they can make that fight now because of how he just struggled,” said Edwards.
Matias: A Possible Proving Ground
I would like to see Teofimo fight some more guys at 140. I think him and [Subriel] Matias would be a great fight,” said Edwards.
“Just because he struggled with Jermaine Ortiz, that doesn’t mean he can’t beat Matias because it’s a different style. Matias is going to be trying to walk him down, and Teo loves that. Teo has got a good set of whiskers. I watched him get hit. He takes a good shot.”
The excuses that Teofimo is already making about Matias suggest that he has no interest in fighting him, and that’s understandable.
“That’s a great fight to me. I don’t know if I would pick Matias, to be honest. If he’s taking these fights and it builds him for the Shakurs and the Crawfords, and he goes in there and performs, him and his dad are geniuses. It worked out because he’s getting battle-tested under fire, and it worked out. Let’s just see,” said Edwards.
