Things have heated up ever since Terence Crawford made a switch to 154. The ripple effect has caused tectonic changes not only at the super welterweight division but at the super lightweight division too, with fighters trying to eye a match with the American boxer. A name that keeps popping up is Teofimo Lopez. It seems the latter has fighters chasing after him too, with Jose Valenzuela trying to make a case for the unified championship at 140. But where does ‘The Takeover’ see himself?

Lopez, 27, is coming off a win against Steve Claggett in an affair, that didn’t attract eyeballs. But when Valenzuela, 25, defeated Issac Cruz, 26, in a close fight, the fight had enough fireworks, with fans talking about the high-octane showdown. In addition, Valenzuela, at 14-2, also dug up his past with Lopez, at 21-1. He has claimed that he had stopped Lopez twice in the sparring session and when asked about a possible match with any fighter at 140, Lopez was the first name on his tongue. However, the WBO champion doesn’t feel the same.

Throwing shade at ‘El Rayo’ and casting skepticism on the split decision against ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, Lopez declared, “Doesn’t get me going yet. You really gotta beat Pitbull.” When asked who gets him going, the Brooklyn native quickly pointed out ‘Bud’. He then made a plea to HE Turki Alalshikh to make a fight between the two.

Lopez continued, “Terence Crawford. The lights of Terence Crawford gets me going. His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh], just know that I’m the Takeover. I’m here to entertain and actually give you a heartwarming feeling of what it feels like to be around greatness.”

Interestingly, Lopez is one name that has emerged as a probable suitor by the Saudi Adviser himself when Canelo Alvarez sidelined himself from the fight with Crawford. And the super lightweight champion is eyeing a fight with Crawford as a money-minting opportunity. That’s not it. He is already prepared and has also disclosed when the fans could expect a fight between the two.

Teofimo Lopez reveals the timeline of fight with Terence Crawford

In a conversation with BoxingScene, the two-division champion admitted that he was walking around 155 pounds, indicating that making weight wasn’t an issue. He said, “I can fight Crawford right now.” He then discussed the repercussions of the 36-year-old boxer taking a long time to return to the boxing ring after his fight with Errol Spence Jr.

He added, “I didn’t expect for age to catch up with Crawford so quickly. I thought it would happen at 38 and not 36… Maybe he shouldn’t have taken so long coming back… I look forward to facing him in the coming year.” It remains to be seen whether Crawford, at 41-0, will take a fight with Lopez or not, as he is not getting younger at 36.

What do you make of these comments by Teofimo Lopez about Terence Crawford? Do you believe a fight between the two is possible next year? Let us know in the comments below.