Crawford May Not Chase Undisputed At 154 – ‘These Top Guys Are No Joke’
Terence Crawford is unlikely to chase undisputed at 154 pounds.
That is according to Paulie Malignaggi. Those comments came after Crawford’s win over Israil Madrimov in his first fight at junior middleweight. Crawford won a unanimous decision to pick up Madrimov’s WBA belt. However, there were suggestions that the fight was much closer than that. Madrimov landed more power shots, clipping Crawford numerous times with his right hand.
Crawford had also knocked out all of his opponents at 147, but Madrimov never looked like going down at 154. There are several big hitters in the division, such as Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Sebastian Fundora. Crawford was been linked with the Ortiz fight for a card in February. Ortiz has knocked out all his opponents except for Serhii Bohachuk in his last bout.
Crawford’s Aims
However, Ortiz got off the canvas twice to win a majority decision, showing the level of the division. Meanwhile, Fundora is a massive southpaw known for throwing explosive combinations. Crawford has been chasing the Canelo Alvarez fight, which would require him to jump up two weight classes to reach 168.
Meanwhile, other reports suggest that GGG has been offered the Crawford fight. But if Crawford cannot trouble those at 154, it is tough to see how he can do that at a bigger weight class. This has raised suggestions that Crawford could retire if he does not get into a big fight with a massive payday, which justifies the risk. Malignaggi felt Crawford’s priorities had changed.
Malignaggi Reacts
“He realized these top 154-pound guys are no joke. Madrimov had him neck-deep in his own issues. So, he had to really dig deep to pull out the win over [Israil] Madrimov, and the 154-pound division is full of guys like Madrimov. He’s thinking, ‘At this stage, I didn’t build my reputation to fight these young, hungry destroyers, guys who are still coming up who have all those skills and that salivating hunger.
“I understand why he wouldn’t want to fight these other guys. I don’t know if the Canelo fight is going to be made because Turki Alalshikh didn’t seem that interested. It doesn’t interest me either. I like competitive fights,” Malignaggi said
Bud’s Legacy
Crawford has enough on his CV to be considered an all-time great. He is undefeated with a 41-0 record, which includes 31 stoppages. He is also a four-weight world champion and undisputed in two weight classes following his feats at 140 and 147. His undisputed at 147 was historic as he became the first one in the four-belt era.
In doing so, he beat Errol Spence Jr., considered the best welterweight of his era. Crawford is now 36 and has plenty of other ventures he can pursue. He could begin his venture as a boxing trainer or follow in the footsteps of others and enter into media work. But with the presence of the Saudis, Crawford can secure a few more big paydays before he retires. That may be the focus moving forward.
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