Although there hasn’t been a lot of boxing going eleven days into the year, there have been a lot of social media jabs being exchanged and fighters trying to position their chess pieces for some big events later in the year. With the launch of FightsATW, it was the perfect time to start the uber-popular article series “Around the Curve,” which originated back in my time with NYFights.
Terence Crawford vs. Teofimo Lopez in December on Heisman Night?
The last 24 hours have been interesting if your name is unified welterweight champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) & WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo ‘The Takeover’ Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs). The two decided to post messages back and forth on X, which brought up topics like fight contracts, lineal championships, and the future (Click HERE to catch up on the exchanged messages).
The interesting thing about all of this starts with Lopez, who put on an excellent performance in June against Josh Taylor while beating him via a 12-round unanimous decision. As soon as the belt was placed on Lopez, he decided to take a moment to address the media and let everyone there know that he was retiring. That was a huge surprise as it came on the heels of his second-best performance of his career, as the win against Vasyl Lomachenko was arguably better. The WBO gave him a deadline to let them know if he was sincere, and right before it expired, Lopez announced that he would remain an active fighter. A short time after that announcement, Lopez requested to be elevated to “Super Champion,” allowing him up to 18 months to face his mandatory challenger, Arnold Barboza Jr., at the time.
The WBO approved Lopez’s request, and what fans may have missed was that his motivation behind that was to potentially fight for the welterweight title if the right situation presented itself. Once that super champion status was in place, Lopez could then plot out how he wanted to get to his desired fight. A video interview with Michelle Joy Phelps was released in which Lopez bad-mouthed Crawford’s victories, and that started the domino effect.
How does Crawford fit in all of this? He has a rematch with Errol Spence Jr. that was supposed to happen during the year’s first quarter. That doesn’t appear to be the case, as Spence recently had a surgical procedure done on his eye and won’t likely return for a fight until June. Although Crawford may not want to wait until then, that is still his biggest money fight aside from one with junior middleweight champions Tim Tszyu or Jermell Charlo. Crawford will likely wait for the Spence fight to cash in on his second biggest payday.
This is where Crawford vs. Lopez comes into play in December. The Heisman Award Ceremony is ESPN’s biggest night, and a fight between those two could fill up the big room inside the Madison Square Garden. Top Rank missed out on doing a fight in NYC for that night last year, but this would be a mega fight. If ESPN could make the numbers work with Top Rank, it could shatter ratings for a boxing event on the network. Many will shake their heads and say it will never happen but don’t be so quick to shoot it down, as boxing tends to do things that aren’t the norm.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs. who?
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) will be considered the king until he leaves the sport. Even at 33, although he is on the downslope, his popularity on an international level hasn’t been bigger than it is now. Everyone wants a shot at the lottery ticket to face Alvarez now to get the “rub” from such a fight. Fans have been clamoring for the matchup with David Benavidez, but he doesn’t seem to be next on Canelo’s list of opponents.
Everything seems to be lining up for a fight with Jaime Munguia in May if Munguia passes his test against John Ryder. Munguia is a bonified ticket seller, and it’s a matchup that Golden Boy Promotions has always envisioned making. Canelo vs. Munguia in Las Vegas would be a mega event for Cinco de Mayo weekend (Box Fan Expo recently announced their event for May, so the anticipation is that a significant fight will occur that weekend).
So, who does Canelo face in September? This is where I think he faces Benavidez, but in Saudi Arabia. Canelo has been vacationing in the last few months and stopped by the UAE, where he was likely wined and dined. The Saudis will overpay tremendously to have that fight over there, and if Al Haymon can secure a big bag for his troubles, then the fight can happen. As much as we don’t want to believe that all the big fights moving forward will happen in Saudi Arabia, the reality is that they are, so we all have to start getting used to early Saturday evening boxing events here in the States.
My Three Cents
As boxing looks around and waits to see who is doing what, event organizers are working behind the scenes, mapping out what this year looks like. With these “Around the Curve” series, I try to shed some light on moves that can be made based on thoughts and what people in the industry have been whispering about. Look out for more of these throughout the year as things start to fall into place.
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