Teofimo Lopez is still hungry and continues to chase big fights. Why is it so? He wants to leave an imprint and quit the sport after facing the best it has to offer. And one of the best is Terence Crawford. But how can the American fighter do it? Not only might he have to bridge a two-division gap but he also has to navigate through the bigger dimensions of ‘Bud’.

Lopez, 27, faces a hypothetical uphill battle when he goes up against the former undisputed welterweight champion. He discussed the scenario where he goes blow-to-blow with Crawford, 36, in a conversation with Fight Hub’s Sean Zittel. While citing the examples of Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, and Adrien Broner, who made a successful jump of two-divisions, he also shed light on negating Crawford’s 6-inch reach advantage over him.

Lopez. at 21-1, explained how the longer the lever, the harder it was to recoil and unload punches. He intended to exploit that little window. The WBO champion declared, “Guys with long arms, it takes them a longer time to bring it back. So, in those moments when they’re trying to bring those punches back, you’ve got your moment to take advantage of it.” Interestingly, he had already committed to the plan once and reaped the benefits of it in a fight against Josh Taylor. What’s more? For Lopez, Crawford was a wider target.

“Look, I fought Josh Taylor. Long ass arms. I took advantage of that. And Crawford is very wide… Y’all don’t see it. Y’all don’t see it. Crawford’s always been long and lanky,” the Brooklyn native added.

Will the fans witness how Lopez executes his master plan and whether he succeeds in it? We highly doubt it. Crawford, at 40, is currently hovering at the 154-pound division, looking to add more titles to his waist and strengthen his case of a fight with Canelo Alvarez. Meanwhile, Lopez is also planning a life in a higher division.

Teofimo Lopez has his eyes set on the Welterweight division

‘The Takeover’ has already floated the speculation of a move up to 147 and it has the fans excited. And that switch can come earlier than expected, and he didn’t rule out the possibility of doing it in the next fight. Lopez disclosed his plans to ESPN’s Mark Kriegel and said, “147 is something that I plan on moving toward, probably even in this next upcoming match.”

It might work out for all the parties, as the 147-pound division’s throne is up for grabs as Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. have decided to build a life at 154. What’s more? Lopez could leverage his WBO title to book a fight with current WBO interim welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jr. whenever he gets elevated. When will Lopez do that? Only time will tell.

What do you make of these comments by Teofimo Lopez? Do you believe he can defeat Terence Crawford? Let us know in the comments below.