Terence Crawford can hang up his gloves if he doesn’t get the Canelo Alvarez fight he’s been looking forward to since his win over Israil Madrimov last August.
It is believed that just the breath of Canelo’s money will get Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) out of his bed and into the gym to resume training to continue his career. Crawford, a native of Nebraska, has made a lot of money in his last two fights against Madrimov and Errol Spence.
So, he doesn’t need to go back to work like normal people who work for a living. Without the driving force of having to pay the bills and feed a family, Crawford can afford to sit back and wait for Canelo’s offer to fall from the sky.
“Crawford is talking about retirement if he doesn’t get Canelo,” said commentator Todd Grisham at DAZN Boxing about what Terence Crawford will do next.
“I think it’s Canelo or bust,” Ade Oladipo said of Crawford.
“That’s always been my read from the Crawford camp,” Chris Mannix said.
“How much did he make for his last fight, Terence Crawford?” Grisham said.
“I don’t know. It was about $25 million for Errol Spence,” Mannix said of Crawford.
“What exactly is the motivation for going in here with Boots?” Grisham said. “Canelo is like, ‘What do I have to fight this guy?’
“He also told me in the ring why he wants the Canelo fight. ‘It’s not so much that I want him. It’s the payday that comes with him, a good check that comes with him,'” he said Mannix, discussing Crawford’s reasoning for wanting to fight Canelo.
Crawford’s reason for wanting to fight Canelo, focusing only on money, is why he probably won’t because he forgot that this is a sport. To get that fight, Crawford has to keep competing against the best and fight more than once a year.
Unfortunately, Crawford has not been busy, and he has not fought the best, except for his match against Israil Madrimov.
Crawford Fights From 2020
– Israel Madrimov
– Errol Spence: * Post car crash
– David Avanesyan
– Shawn Porter
“Kell Brook”.
“This is the only fight out there that generates the kind of revenue that can get Terence Crawford out of bed, back in the gym, and ready for a big fight. I know Teofimo is out there trying to make something happen.
Why Crawford doesn’t want to keep busy making millions against other fighters not named Canelo is surprising, and shows a lack of ambition on his part. Why wouldn’t it? If he wants Canelo to fight bad enough, he can improve his chances of getting it by keeping his popularity high by taking on Jaron Ennis, Vergil Ortiz, Bakhram Murtazaliev, and Sebastian Fundora.
“I know Vergil (Ortiz) is probably trying to make something happen, but the only guy I think can get Terence Crawford back in the ring is Canelo Alvarez,” Mannix said.
Crawford’s chances of fighting Canelo will be hurt if he sits outside the ring, waiting and hoping the Mexican star blesses him. It’s not a good sign for Crawford if Canelo’s management hasn’t contacted him yet (they fight together for May 2025.
If Crawford is going to sit there like a shot on a log and hope that the fight will fall into his lap by the forces of gravity without him needing to work for it, he will end up with nothing. What Crawford needs to do to improve his chances of landing the mega-payday is to move up to 168 and fight these three:
- Osley Iglesias
- Diego Pacheco
- Jaime Munguia
I added Christian Mbilli, but he’s had injury problems, and it’s already the WBC mandatory for Canelo’s 168 lb title. Mbilli is not going to put himself at risk.
