“His Dad Slapped My…”: Terence Crawford Opens Up on Infamous Teofimo Lopez Altercation

Terence Crawford shared a few insights into the brief spat with Teofimo Lopez at the Canelo Alvarez–Edgar Berlanga showdown. Boxing’s first two-division undisputed sat down for a tete-a-tete, revealing an intriguing twist to the story that unfolded at the T-Mobile Arena. Early in August, the Nebraskan entered a new league as he defeated Israil Madrimov for the light welterweight title.

Even since talks about his next outing have been taking form across the board. Despite his profound wish, the chance of fighting against Carlos Alvarez appears slim, at least for the time being. Hence, he might opt for chasing other divisional champions. However, considering his standing, ‘Bud’ Crawford has frequently been a target for callouts. Among the loudest voices to emerge out of this is that of Teofimo Lopez. Whether Crawford assents for a duel is anyone’s guess. The two had been sparring on social media for some time. It didn’t take much time before the differences escalated into a near brawl.

Terence Crawford: The Breakdown

Speaking with ‘Bernie the Boxer,’ Terence Crawford recalled the utter surprise he had when Teofimo Lopez Sr. approached him to check for a potential matchup. However, he didn’t appreciate the way the light welterweight champion’s father approached him. “I said okay, this motherf**ker sent his dad to check because his dad slapped my shoulder trying to get some attention after my fight, you know what I mean, and it’s on camera.”

So it seems chancing upon him, Crawford issued a stern warning to the senior against repeating such behavior. As he watched the exchange, understandably, Teofimo Lopez interfered. He claimed that the gesture was just meant to check for a fight. However, unmindful Terence Crawford told ‘The Takeover’ to stop meddling and cautioned his father once again. “If you ever put your motherf**king hands on me, yeah again,” he reportedly told Lopez Sr.

However, it seemingly irked Teofimo Lopez to challenge ‘Bud’ Crawford for an out-of-the-ring face-off. As he brushed aside the Brooklyn-born fighter’s low-grade threat, Crawford recalled that by the time a few security guards had stepped in. Their presence, according to him, emboldened Teofimo Lopez to step up the dare. But it only further infuriated Crawford. Nevertheless, he brushed off the light welterweight champion’s taunt. Later, Crawford shared how he would have reacted had the roles been reversed with someone threatening his father.

Essentials and Actualities

Calling out Teofimo Lopez a ‘bi*tch’, Crawford shared his disdain for many boxers who went around in large entourages. They would often feel adventurous while hyping up their fights. So the light middleweight champion made it clear—while these sort of gimmicks barely unnerved him, he doesn’t expect others to be frightened of him either. “I don’t want you to be scared of me; I just want you to know to respect me and know that I will really f**k you up in real time,” he said.

Since his loss to George Kambosos Jr., Teofimo Lopez’s performance has been under increased scrutiny. With the exception of the Josh Taylor fight, ‘The Takeover’ has been criticized for the way he fought against the likes of Sandor Martin, Jaimaine Ortiz, and Steve Claggett. However, a big fight would go a long way toward putting his career back on track. Probably that could be the reason why he must have felt it so compelling to call out Terence Crawford and Devin Haney.

A title unification with Haney could still be possible. But what about Terence Crawford? Will accepting a fight against Teofimo Lopez augment his legacy besides assuring the huge payday his stature commands?

What do you feel personally? If Crawford could call out Canelo Alvarez, who sits two divisions above, then is there anything wrong with Teofimo Lopez calling out Crawford?