Before the perspiration from 12 rounds of battle with Israil Madrimov on Saturday night had even dried from Terence Crawford’s body, the new four-division champion and junior middleweight titleholder was asked about what comes next – and, specifically, if what’s coming will be a red-headed Guadalajaran cash cow.
Crawford has said that a fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez “makes the most sense,” citing what its influence on his legacy and bank account would amount to. But what about his own well-being? As gifted a fighter as Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is – and one aficionado has called him “this generation’s Sugar Ray Robinson” – meeting Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) at 168 pounds is a tall order for anyone, let alone a soon-to-be 37-year-old who once fought at 135 pounds and who is now coming off one of the fiercest challenges of his career in his first fight at 154.
In our latest BoxingScene Roundtable, we asked our staff to weigh in on the topic: Should Crawford, perhaps the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, pursue a fight with Canelo, boxing’s biggest star?
Tris Dixon: I’m one of those who now thinks, after watching Saturday night’s main event, that the leap is probably too great – and that’s fine. I’d love to see Crawford do at 154 as he did at 140 and 147. If he ended his career defeating Vergil Ortiz Jr., Sebastian Fundora and, say, Teofimo Lopez Jr., that would be just fine.
That doesn’t mean, however, I don’t respect him for wanting that smoke at 168.
Matt Christie: There are likely only two opponents who can earn Crawford megabucks and have genuine crossover appeal: Jaron Ennis and Canelo Alvarez, with the latter significantly more lucrative even if a return to 147 to take on Ennis would likely make for a much better fight.
A loss to Ennis, the young up-and-comer, would be more damaging to Crawford’s legacy than being bested by the bigger Canelo – therefore, from Crawford’s point of view, there are likely more reasons to pursue Alvarez than not.
Whether he’s right to, in terms of his chances of winning, can only be answered should they actually fight. The bigger question might ultimately be if Canelo will seriously entertain the prospect of risking it all against Crawford.
Lucas Ketelle: When someone tells you who they are or what they’re thinking, believe them. Crawford stated his openness to a fight with Canelo – contingent on a substantial payday. That statement speaks volumes. If maximizing earnings is his goal, that is the fight to make.
Bernard Neequaye: It’s going to be a tall order for Terence Crawford at 168, in my opinion, considering the weight difference. Don’t forget: Alvarez has yet to lose at super middleweight.
Crawford can decide to ditch his legacy by opting to fight Canelo for the biggest payday of his career, but that could be detrimental to his career. I think he should rather concentrate on dominating the junior middleweight division where he just won a world title.
Tom Ivers: I feel that Crawford should continue his push for a fight against Alvarez. If Crawford’s performance against Madrimov is anything to go by, it’s highly likely that he will taste defeat at 154 pounds.
Crawford is only getting older, and the likes of Ortiz, Ennis and Tim Tszyu are in or entering their primes and only getting better. A defeat at super middleweight against Alvarez would look a lot better on Crawford’s record than a loss at junior middleweight.
So why not take the risk and take a chance at greatness? I’m sure he will get well paid for it.
Jason Langendorf: I’m all for fighters challenging themselves and all for superfights being made between the greats of a shared era. But there’s a reason that some find the pound-for-pound list to be silly, pointless or both: it’s theoretical. And in cases like these, it should remain so.
Unless Canelo wants to come down in weight – fat chance – I’d rather see Crawford make a (slightly smaller) boatload of money in excellent matchups at 154 pounds instead of risking life and limb overextending himself to prove what we already know: He measures up against the best of any era.