Crawford May Retire Without Canelo Fight
Terence Crawford could retire if he does not get the Canelo Alvarez fight.
That is according to Eddie Hearn. Crawford is a four-weight world champion, having beaten Israil Madrimov in his last fight to win the WBA belt at 154. He is a two-weight undisputed champion, achieving it at 140 and 147. He became the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era by beating Errol Spence Jr. last year.
Crawford called out Canelo after beating Madrimov. It would require him to move up two weight classes. A win makes him one of the best to do it, despite his current accomplishments. While it won’t be for undisputed after Canelo was stripped of his IBF belt, it is still a legacy-defining fight. Alvarez has only lost to Dmitry Bivol and Floyd Mayweather Jr., showing Crawford’s tough task.
Hearn On Crawford
“I don’t think Crawford wants a Boots fight. I don’t think Crawford will fight again unless he fights Canelo Alvarez because he’s got money, he’s getting on [in age]. He escaped one in the [Israil] Madrimov fight, and I don’t think he wants to fight Vergil Ortiz. I don’t think he wants to fight Boots Ennis because he’s looking at these fights and saying, ‘They’re not really legacy mega-fights. I want mega-money, mega-fights, or I’m chilled,’ and good luck to him,” Hearn said
Canelo appears to have dismissed the fight again. He was vocal about Crawford’s last fight, as he questioned whether he was suited to 154. Madrimov landed more power punches than Crawford, while Bud’s punches were not enough to keep his opponent at bay. Crawford’s reluctance to fight the other 154-pounders suggests he wants to cash out with the Canelo fight. Alvarez said he would get no credit for beating a smaller fighter.
Canelo’s Aim
Canelo has also expressed his desire to face other opponents. The David Benavidez fight could still happen if the Saudis put up a big number. Alvarez has said he wanted $200 million to take the fight. The Saudis paid Tyson Fury over $100 million for the two Oleksandr Usyk fights, meaning that a similar figure could tempt Canelo into taking it. Meanwhile, Alvarez stated that he would box Dmitry Bivol again at 175.
Canelo lost a one-sided unanimous decision in 2022. However, he admitted he had a hand issue which plagued him during the fight. The rematch never happened due to differences over the weight class. Canelo wanted to run things back at 175 to rule out claims that Bivol would be drained at 168.
As for Bivol, the boxer chased a fight at 168 to secure Canelo undisputed title at the time. Alvarez is now not undisputed, meaning a fight at 175 is more likely. Bivol boxes Artur Beterbiev on October 12 for the right to become undisputed at 175. Canelo wanted to box the winner.
“Yes it’s possible. It’s the only fight I’d make one more time at 175lbs – the rematch with Bivol,” Canelo said
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