Preview: Teofimo Lopez headlines Crawford vs. Khan PPV prelim fights

Bloodyelbow.com

Saturday’s big boxing event is on PPV, when pound for pound great Terence Crawford takes on Amir Khan. Crawford vs. Khan headlines a four fight PPV – we’ll have a preview of the main event later this week, but here’s what fans can expect from the PPV undercard.

Teofimo Lopez (12-0; 10 KO) vs. Edis Tatli (31-2; 10 KO) – Lightweight, 10 rounds
Exciting prospect Lopez is featured in the night’s co-main event, as well he should be. The 21 year old dynamo has been a thrill to watch in his two year rise through the ranks. Fans saw him score a tremendous KO of Mason Menard on the Lomachenko vs. Pedraza card in December (my pick for KO of the year), and he followed that up with a win over Diego Magdaleno on the Kovalev vs. Alvarez II card. He’s highly talented, he’s flashy, he’s young, and he wins spectacularly. Those are the ingredients to produce a major star, and Top Rank knows it. If you’re not yet tuned in to Lopez, hop on board right now. Tatli is 31 years old and fighting outside of Europe for the first time in his career. He’s never fought at this level, though he is coming in off an August victory in Finland’s Dancing With the Stars, so he’s got that going for him.

Video: Watch the full episode of Countdown to Crawford vs. Khan

Shakur Stevenson (10-0; 6 KO) vs. Christopher Diaz (24-1; 16 KO) – Featherweight, 10 rounds
Another “highlight the young prospect” fight, this time focusing on Stevenson. Like Lopez, Stevenson is 21 and a two year pro, but he came into the pros with great hype thanks to his Silver medal for the US at the 2016 Olympics. Stevenson has looked good in his 10 pro fights, if not quite as spectacular as Lopez. Like many accomplished amateurs, he has strong technical skills, but a low KO ratio. Top Rank has paired him with Crawford on multiple cards, and they do so again here. Diaz was considered a rising prospect to watch a few years ago, but a 2018 loss to Masayuki Ito slowed that. He’s a solid enough opponent here, and poses an interesting challenge for the still developing Stevenson.

Felix Verdejo (24-1; 16 KO) vs. Bryan Vasquez (37-3; 20 KO) – Lightweight, 10 rounds
Speaking of former prospects, here’s Felix Verdejo. The Puerto Rican fighter was on the rise, getting a heavy promotional push and being featured in the co-main events under Crawford and Lomachenko. An an undefeated fighter, he was set up for a title shot against Terry Flanagan. But it all fell apart in 2017, as a combination of issues with the Flanagan fight and injury put him on the shelf for 13 months. He returned last year and lost his first fight, getting stopped in the 10th round of a fight he was supposed to win. He’s 1-0 since and in an absolute must win spot. Vasquez is a 14 year pro and no slouch – he’s been in there with Ray Beltran and Javier Fortuna among others. He’s the underdog, but just barely at +155, and is by no means an easy out for Verdejo.

Join us at Bloody Elbow Saturday night for live Crawford vs. Khan fight night coverage.