What, and who next for newly crowned four-weight king Terence Crawford? We fight fans have been asking this question since “Bud” added to his legacy along with his belt collection courtesy of his unanimous decision win over a determined and tough Israil Madrimov on Saturday in L.A. Will that massive, history-making fight with Canelo Alvarez happen the way Turki Alalshikh wants it to?
Crawford’s position on the matter seems to be the same, with him being open to the fight, up at 168 pounds, if the dollars and cents make sense. “You know what I’ve said, ‘if the money is right, we got a fight,” Crawford told Chris Mannix.
But now, just in case Canelo is not “smart” and refuses Alalshikh’s offer (his words), there is a plan B in place as far as the Saudi money man is concerned. As reported by ESPN.com, Vergil Ortiz is the new frontrunner to get it on with Crawford if Canelo doesn’t want to fight “Bud.”
“@Turki_Alalshikh put me in,” Ortiz wrote on social media upon hearing how he is in the frame to fight Crawford next.
Ortiz must get past Serhii Bohachuk first. The fight to contest the interim WBC 154-pound belt currently held by Bohachuk will take place this Saturday night in Las Vegas.
So, Crawford, 41-0(31), has quite a few options.
Crawford-Canelo remains a huge fight and a fascinating prospect. While Crawford could fight Ortiz or maybe Tim Tszyu, we fans hope (as does Eddie Hearn) Boots Ennis. Crawford has expressed interest in facing Sebastian Fundora. A return fight with Madrimov seems unlikely, although some fans feel Madrimov deserves a second go as Crawford.
It seems the world is pretty much Crawford’s oyster right now. His place in The Hall of Fame is secure, and Crawford, who will turn 37 next month, may not stick around for too much longer. As such, Crawford will only want the big, big fights, and there are quite a few to pick and choose from.
For now, Crawford can continue celebrating his joining the small club of four-weight world champions.
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