Terence Crawford turned 37 today, and many are wondering if the four-division world champion will continue in the sport. He hasn’t talked about getting back in the ring against one of the killers at 168 to continue his career, and it looks like he’s retiring.
(Credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing)
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has talked about wanting just one fight against Canelo Alvarez, but that fight doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. He hasn’t mentioned a plan B option for his next fight, and it looks like he’s just going to sit back and hope the Canelo mega-fight happens.
The problem is that for Crawford to increase his chances of getting that fight, he would need to stay active with his career and take risks to go down in weight to 160 and 168. He doesn’t seem interested in doing that.
To create public interest in a Canelo fight, the 37-year-old Crawford must increase in weight and target these fighters:
– Janibek Alimkhanuly: IBF and WBO 160 lb champion
– David Benavidez
– Christian Mbilli
– Osleys Iglesias
-David Morrell
The ideal way for Crawford to get the Canelo fight is to accept David Benavidez’s offer for a fight at 168 and show the world that he can kill the “Mexican Monster”.
If Crawford took care of Canelo’s problem by beating Benavidez, it would create pressure for him to face the conqueror. Crawford probably won’t do that because it involves too much risk of being destroyed by the younger, bigger and stronger Benavidez.
This guy is a decade younger than Crawford at 27, and he throws quick punches like a machine gun that would be too much for him. We saw Crawford struggle with the jabs from his last opponent, Israil Madrimov, and he looked terrifying in his performance against the WBA 154-lb champion.
Still, Crawford should accept Benavidez’s offer because beating him, even by a close decision, would virtually guarantee that he would get the golden parachute Canelo. I would if I were Crawford, but I’m more ambitious. Crawford seems to have a sense of entitlement, as if he deserves the fight against Canelo based on his past accomplishments. However, he did not beat anyone. That’s the problem.
Staying at 154 is definitely a dead end for Crawford, and he needs to understand that. Canelo will not be selected for the contest by beating Virgil Ortiz, Tim Tszyu, or Sebastian Fundora. Nah, he has to go all the way to 168 to take on the goliath, Benavidez, to earn that fight.
