For most of his career, Terence Crawford was forced to play nice. Fans and plenty of media members poked holes in his resume and laughed when he claimed that he took on top-tier competition. Although they were all bombastic, Errol Spence Jr.’s criticism was the loudest.
For years Spence argued that Crawford hadn’t fought a single worthy soul. Crawford defended himself at times but he warned Spence that his flippant words would lead to deadly consequences.
On July 29th, just last year, the two officially got it on. Just like he predicted, Crawford dominated, running Spence over before eventually stopping him in the ninth.
There’s a bit more reverence when discussing Crawford’s resume nowadays. Well, except when Teofimo Lopez chimes in. The former unified champ at 135 pounds and current WBC super lightweight title holder recently ripped Crawford, going as far as to say that every fighter he fought in the welterweight division was essentially shot. Crawford, of course, had a few things to say. He didn’t really dissect Lopez’s skills but he did use every derogatory word imaginable to describe him.
From the sidelines, Danny Garcia finds it all comical. In terms of the pair actually jumping in the ring and getting it on, most believe it isn’t pragmatic. If Lopez does move up and Crawford slides a contract across his desk, few are giving him a chance. Garcia though, believes that the doubters should take another look at Lopez’s resume before counting him out.
“I would love to see that fight at 147,” Garcia told BoxingScene.com. “I think that’s a great fight. Teo is big and strong for 140. He dominated (Josh) Taylor. I thought that was going to be a good fight and he just walked right through him. He was way stronger than him, he was faster than him. Him putting on weight actually helped him. I feel like it would probably help him more at 147. That would be a great fight at 147.”
Lopez has somewhat made a name for himself by giving oddsmakers the middle finger. In addition to dethroning Taylor, he also took out Vasiliy Lomachenko when he was viewed as the consensus best fighter in the world.
Skills aside, the size difference is obvious here. Crawford has planted his flag at 147 pounds for well over five years while Lopez is still getting used to the super lightweight division. When he first laced up his gloves and began beating his opponents senselessly, however, Crawford was a much smaller man.
Is Crawford somewhat bigger and stronger? Possibly. But is he more likely to win? Garcia wouldn’t go that far.
“Crawford comes from 135 too. Right now he’s naturally bigger because he’s been at that weight longer but both of them are coming from 135. You would have to favor Crawford but on paper, it’s an even fight.”