Crawford: “Canelo’s Going To Bring More To My Legacy, Way More To My Bank Account”
Terence Crawford has a big fight coming up, a potentially dangerous fight, this against 154 pound defending titlist Israil Madrimov. Yet fans seem to be looking ahead, and so does Crawford – to a possible super fight with Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez. And while “Bud” and his trainer BoMac insist they are not overlooking Madrimov or taking a fourth weight division victory for granted, the talk, the majority of it, is about what’s next after Madrimov, not the upcoming Madrimov challenge.
Crawford, speaking with MMA Fighting, explained why he wants the fight with Canelo and not so much one with rising welterweight star Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Ask a fight fan, and plenty of them will say Ennis when it comes to who they’d most like to see Crawford fight next. But Crawford says a fight with “Boots” doesn’t make anywhere near as much sense as a fight with Canelo does.
“Being where I’m at right now I’m looking at the fight that make the most sense and that’s not Boots,” Crawford said. “Canelo’s going to bring more to my legacy, way more to my bank account because at the end of the day when boxing is done with, what will we have? I want to have a legacy that’s something that people will talk about for ages. And not only that, I want to have a bank account that will last for ages as well.”
So, what would a win over Canelo, up at 168 pounds, do for Crawford’s legacy? A whole lot, that’s what. When this fight was first spoken of, plenty of people laughed or sneered, saying Crawford, who won his first world title at lightweight, is simply too small to be messing with a 168 pounder, especially one as proficient as Canelo. But now, if Crawford beats Madrimov on August 3, it really could be Canelo next. And as special as he is, combined with the fact that Canelo, who just turned 34, may have lost a step, along with some hunger, Crawford’s chances of a win are pretty high.
How shocked would you be by a Crawford points win over Canelo? It could happen. And Crawford’s legacy would be cemented, while his bank balance would be swell.
But again, first comes Madrimov, a strong, determined, skilled fighter who is certain he will get the win over “Bud” next month. As for Ennis, he will have to make do with unifying the welterweight titles, with “Boots” making his name as the next dominant 147 pounder.
Read the full article here
