Teofimo Lopez challenges Terence Crawford after defending junior welterweight title

Teofimo Lopez was riding high after defeating Jamaine Ortiz Thursday night, and called out Terence Crawford and every top fighter at 140 pounds after the fight.

Teofimo Lopez retained his WBO and The Ring junior welterweight titles in a unanimous decision victory over Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday night.

Lopez may have given the boxing world an even more captivating spectacle after the fight. While donning his belts, Lopez had many choice words for his contemporaries at 140 pounds as well as the pound-for-pound king of the ring.

Lopez chose to challenge Terence Crawford to a fight, unclear whether he extended the challenge at catchweight or intends to move up to welterweight. He also invited the heavy hitters at junior welterweight to come and take his titles from him. Was this delusions of grandeur on Lopez’s part, or an untameable confidence that he can back up if taken up on his challenge?

Lopez goes off on junior welterweight contenders post-fight

In the same breath, Lopez also blasted his division rivals while feeling himself after his victory.

As Top Rank published on YouTube, Lopez looked directly at the camera and said:

“If you ain’t ready for this life, get the f— out of my sport.”

Lopez is fairly new to the junior welterweight division. Though he’s wasted no time reaching its mountaintop in his divisional debut, Lopez has only fought in it four times over the last 17 months.

Meanwhile, Crawford has conquered every major opponent at welterweight and took down Errol Spence Jr. in his magnum opus to date.

Lopez has the name brand and skills to warrant negotiations with Crawford’s camp, but without having tasted a second of action at 147 pounds, his timing may be off, especially considering Crawford is looking at a potential move-up in weight to light middleweight.

Next in line to face Lopez would be WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney or top contender Josh Taylor, both of which are the next two highest ranked fighters in the division according to The Ring magazine. Taylor specifically has been on The Ring’s list for 343 weeks, signaling his time to get a shot at one of the title holders.

Haney also carries more gravitas at the current moment, so a fight between Lopez and Taylor could set the stage for a unification bout.