Teofimo Lopez backs one of the Four Kings to defeat Terence Crawford in a prime-for-prime welterweight battle.

‘Bud’ called time on his Hall of Fame-worthy career in December, just a few months removed from his unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez.

Despite being made a pre-fight underdog, Crawford was able to dethrone the more natural super-middleweight to become a three-division undisputed champion.

His best performances arguably came at 147lbs, though, as the American scored seven straight stoppages before orchestrating a ninth-round finish over Errol Spence Jr in July 2023.

This victory alone has inspired many to compare Crawford with other welterweight greats, including the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard.

A particularly intriguing fantasy matchup, however, would be between the masterful switch-hitter and Thomas Hearns, who challenged Leonard for the WBC welterweight title in 1981.

Despite suffering a 14th-round stoppage defeat, ‘The Hitman’ was leading on all three judges’ scorecards and would eventually rematch Leonard in 1989, only for their super-middleweight contest to end in a controversial draw.

Standing at 6ft 1in, there are few that could have gotten the better of Hearns between 147 and 168lbs, where his only other defeats came against Marvin Hagler and Iran Barkley.

It is perhaps this size advantage that has inspired Lopez to favour Hearns over Crawford while speaking with Daily Mail Sport.

But it was also the jab of Hearns – a shot refined under the tutelage of Emanuel Steward – that could have posed problems for Crawford, whose 75in reach otherwise represented a key advantage throughout his illustrious career.

“Well, I think it’s more so the fighters’ teams. They’re trying to weigh out their options in terms of what would be the easiest route for them,” said Carrington to Chris Mannix’s channel. “For me, I’m the type of guy that knows I can beat everybody. I have the confidence that I can beat everyone, so it doesn’t matter who comes first.”

Carrington went a step further, saying the lack of movement toward unification is proof that other champions don’t fully believe in their own fighters.

“If these guys had that confidence in their fighter, then they would fight me next. But being that they don’t, they’re finding other alternative routes to reach the top or stay at the top before they fight me because they see that I’m a real threat,” said Carrington.

Those comments are unlikely to convince everyone.

Although Carrington remains unbeaten, many fans believe he has yet to face the type of opposition that justifies calling out the other titleholders. His January stoppage of Carlos Castro earned him the vacant WBC title, but Castro entered the fight coming off a loss and an 18-month layoff. Carrington also had to survive a difficult spell after being badly hurt before rallying for the stoppage.

His previous opponents have also done little to quiet the criticism. Mateus Heita arrived unbeaten but largely unknown on the world stage, while Enrique Vivas and Dana Coolwell were viewed as solid contenders rather than elite featherweights.

Carrington’s 2024 victory over Sulaiman Segawa remains another talking point. While he won a majority decision, many fans felt Segawa had done enough to deserve the verdict. Combined with the problems he encountered against Castro, those performances have led some to question whether Carrington is ready for the division’s top fighter.

That fighter, in the eyes of many, is WBO champion Rafael Espinoza.

Espinoza has strengthened his standing with victories over Robeisy Ramirez and Edward Vazquez and is widely regarded as the man to beat at 126 pounds. As a result, some fans have questioned why that fight has not materialized while Carrington has continued to face less established opposition.

Carrington, however, insists unification remains his goal and identified Espinoza and WBA champion Angelo Leo as the opponents he hopes to face before the end of the year.

Carrington’s explanation is unlikely to change many minds. The questions surrounding his resume won’t go away until he faces Espinoza or another established champion.

“I was catching him with shots the first day we sparred. The second day we sparred, those shots were not landing,” Mendoza said to FightHype.

“People forget he was a high-IQ boxer as an amateur.”

Mendoza said the biggest takeaway was watching Spence make adjustments from one sparring session to the next rather than simply relying on experience.

“For those of you that think he’s done, that he’s just showing up for a paycheck… he’s not working like someone who’s showing up for a paycheck.

“The work ethic I got to see in the couple of weeks I was in camp, and just from being in the ring with him… there were adjustments every day. He’s not someone that’s just showing up.”

Mendoza also addressed another major question surrounding Spence following such a lengthy layoff: whether he can still take a punch.

“I did check Spence’s punch resistance—I can definitely say I sent some missiles his way—and I honestly feel like he responded well.”

Mendoza is in a unique position to compare the matchup, having lost a unanimous decision to Tszyu in October 2023 before recently helping Spence prepare for the Australian.

Both fighters enter the bout looking to revive their careers. Spence has not fought since losing his WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight titles to Crawford, while Tszyu is trying to rebound after defeats to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev left his standing among the division’s elite in doubt.

With both men attempting to prove they still belong at the highest level, Mendoza’s assessment suggests Spence is arriving in Australia with more left in the tank than many critics have assumed.