Teofimo Lopez seems to have struck up a good relationship with Canelo Alvarez. Recently, in a media interview ahead of the Edgar Berlanga fight on September 14, the Mexican boxing icon stated that Teofimo Lopez deserved a fight against Terence Crawford ahead of himself. “Crawford needs to fight Teofimo [Lopez] first and then we’ll see,” Alvarez remarked while Lopez and his father stood beside him.
And now, both boxers have been seen training with each other ahead of Canelo’s upcoming bout. The WBO super lightweight champion, who has defeated the likes of elite boxers like Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor, isn’t a bad choice at all for the 34-year-old fighter to engage in a light sparring session. And, it is also a good opportunity for Lopez to pick up a few tricks from one of the best practitioners of the ‘sweet science’.
In the training footage shared on X titled, “Canelo and Teofimo Lopez in the ring,” Canelo seems to be teaching a few techniques to Lopez to deal with being pressured against the ropes. At first, Lopez threw three jabs. Thereafter, Lopez threw a cross and hook. The drill was then repeated multiple times, as both fighters executed it perfectly every time without faltering.
Notably, in 2022, Teofimo Lopez was thinking of adding Canelo’s trainer Eddy Reynoso to his coaching team alongside his father. “He is [a great coach]. I love the connection. I’ve talked to Canelo a few times. Yeah, we’ll see. My father, he’s always going to be my main coach, my #1, my guy. I’m always going to hold it down for him,” Lopez told ESnews. However, the talks died down and the linkup never materialized. Nevertheless, it seems Lopez’s relationship with Canelo has strengthened over the years to the point that ‘Cinnamon’ is throwing away a financially lucrative fight with Terence Crawford for Lopez.
Meanwhile, boxing fans made certain astute observations about the fighters’ physical stature and speculated about their upcoming fights. Safe to say, the community was happy witnessing Lopez throw hands with Canelo Alvarez.
Should Teofimo Lopez change his trainer?
One fan claimed that Canelo wasn’t as big as they anticipated. Thus, they have a newfound respect for Alvarez’s campaign in the super middleweight division, which has fighters who are much taller than him. The comment read, “Canelo real life small asl. Same height as a lightweight lmao 😭😭 makes his 168 run even more impressive.” Canelo stands at 5 ft 7+1⁄2 inches while Lopez is 5 ft 8 inches. Remarkably, Lopez is actually a fraction taller than Canelo. However, both pugilists compete in weight classes that are miles apart.
Another fan claimed that Teofimo Lopez would level up tremendously in his boxing prowess if he had Canelo Alvarez as his stablemate. They commented, “That training with Canelo can turn Teo into a whole different beast.” For sure, Lopez can pick up on some slick head movement, and the left-hook-right uppercut combination from Canelo.
