Crawford In Trouble After Spence And Canelo Fights Collapse
Terence Crawford is looking for a new opponent following the collapse of the Canelo Alvarez and Errol Spence Jr. fights.
Ever since Crawford stopped Errol Spence Jr. to become the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era, he has struggled to find his next opponent. The rematch with Spence was entertained at 154 pounds, but it broke down after Bud moved on. Crawford was frustrated by the narrative towards his win after Spence blamed his vision problems for being hit so many times.
This was supported by his cataract surgery over his right eye following the fight. A fight with Canelo was then entertained,, requiring Bud to jump up three weight classes. That was always unlikely, which Canelo confirmed, stating he had no intention to face Bud. This was because he would not get credit for a win, preventing Crawford from fighting for his undisputed title at 168.
That has left serious question marks over where Crawford goes next. He could move up to 154 pounds. The current champions in the division are Jermell Charlo and Tim Tszyu. Charlo recently vacated his IBF belt. This means he may consider moving up to 160 after his last fight against Canelo at 168. As for Tszyu, he is the WBO Junior Middleweight Champion. His next fight is against Keith Thurman on March 30, but his WBO belt will not be on the line. Crawford could target the winner of that bout, or Tszyu, for his belt.
Crawford’s Next Fight
“If Crawford wants Tszyu, WBO, per their rules, will name Crawford the 154-pound Mandatory #1 contender, basically forcing Tszyu into that fight. That would be a very big fight with Worldwide interest,” Rick Glaser said
Getting the WBO belt puts Crawford in a position to become a three-weight undisputed champion. If Charlo were then to vacate his other belts, WBC and WBA, Crawford would be in a prime position to fight for those titles. But if a fight at 154 is not possible, then Crawford may consider facing Teofimo Lopez or Manny Pacquiao.
Crawford’s Alternatives
Lopez has been calling out Bud, demanding a fight at 147, after he expressed doubts over his biggest wins over Spence, Kell Brook and Jose Benavidez Jr. Lopez alleged all those fighters were damaged heading into the fight. As for Pacman, Manny has been contemplating a return to boxing. His former strength and conditioning coach, Justin Fortune, has claimed his fighter would be ready to take on Bud if needed.
“That’s a massive payday, and guess what, it’s a 50-50 fight. Manny has a 50 percent chance of winning because he’s still a freak athlete, and it wouldn’t take much to pull him into shape,” he said. “The power he has is a gift from God, he hasn’t lost his power. Manny has never ducked anyone. He’s always fought the best, and not saying Mayweather’s not the best, but he’s old. I’d prefer Manny to come back and prove himself against a current world champion like Crawford,” Fortune stated
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