Terence Crawford has yet to say whether he wants to make the effort to become the undisputed champion at 154. It would likely involve the 37-year-old Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) fighting Tim Tszyu to capture the IBF title and Sebastian Fundora to win the WBC and WBO belts.
It’s undoubtedly attainable for Crawford to become the undisputed champion in a third weight class, but it’s possible he would have to fight three more times to accomplish that task.
Age Showing
Does Crawford want to run the gauntlet at 37 to capture the last three belts? I have my doubts. He looked like he was fighting at 75% capacity against Israil Madrimov on August 3rd and looked nothing like the fighter that had reigned at 147 from 2018 to 2023. The combination of age, inactivity, and the weight increase to 154 eroded Crawford’s skills.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh would likely want Crawford to fight WBC interim 154-lb champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. in between the Fundora and Tszyu fights. Beating those three fighters at age 37 or 38 would be a tall order for Crawford.
– Sebastian Fundora
– Tim Tszyu
– Vergil Ortiz Jr.
The Nebraska native Crawford barely beat WBA champion Israil Madrimov in his debut at 154 on August 3rd. He would have lost that fight if the Uzbek had been busier in the championship rounds by going on the attack.
Fundora, Vergil Jr., and Tszyu will have watched the Crawford-Madrimov fight and will ensure they don’t give these late rounds away by fighting passively. The Madrimov fight showed that Crawford lacked the same power at 154 that he possessed at 147, 140, and 135.
He’s not going to be able to out-slug Tszyu, Fundora, or Vergil Jr., and he would be forced to try to beat them using his boxing skills. It will not be easy to win a decision against those powerful and busy fighters without staying on the move for twelve rounds to make it boring.
The Question of Motivation
“If it’s two fights to get all four belts, I could see it. If he’s got to take an interim fight in between, and that interim fight is Vergil Ortiz. The question is whether Terence Crawford wants to fight three more times. I could see him fighting two more times,” said Chris Mannix on his YouTube channel about whether Terence Crawford will attempt to capture the remaining three belts at 154 to become a three-division undisputed champion.
“Does he want to fight three more times at age 37?” Mannix continued about Crawford. “He’s been very selective with his opponents in recent years. He got the undisputed at 147 in large part because one guy [Errol Spence] had those other [three] belts.”
The answer is simple: Crawford no longer has the ambition to put in the hard work to become undisputed unless all the belts are held by one fighter, and even then, it’s got to be a super popular fighter who’ll make him a lot of money. In other words, laziness has set in with the Nebraska native, and he’s content to stay at home, waiting for the cash to fall in his lap by the forces of gravity.
Money as the Driving Force
“So, does he want to fight Tim Tszyu? Chase Sebastian Fundora and chase a Vergil Ortiz in between, which would be a very physical fight. Only Crawford knows the answer to that. Obviously, money talks. He said in the ring after the win over Madrimov, ‘It’s about the payday. It’s about the bag. I want to take care of my family now and for future generations.’ If that money is on the table, I guess he does it,” said Mannix.
The way Turki was talking about Crawford only wanting the Canelo fight, he won’t be willing to run the gauntlet against the two killers to pick up the remaining three belts, especially at age 37, showing signs of age and deterioration. You can only imagine what the lanky 6’6″ Fundora would do against an aging Crawford or a big puncher like Tszyu. Those two would be a pure nightmare for him.
“We saw Errol Spence inside the ring after the Tim Tszyu fight. That’s the fight they ideally want,” said Lance Pugmire about WBC/WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora.
Unless Turki offers Fundora a lot of money to fight Crawford first, he’ll choose the more winnable fight against Errol Spence. The Crawford fight will still be there if he wants to become undisputed at 154.
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