Terence Crawford may hang up his gloves if he doesn’t get the Canelo Alvarez fight he’s been eagerly awaiting since his win over Israil Madrimov last August.
It is believed that just the flavor of the Canelo money will get Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) out of bed and into the gym to train again to continue his career. Nebraska native Crawford has made plenty of dough in his last two fights against Madrimov and Errol Spence.
So, he does not have to return to work like ordinary people who work for a living. Without the drive to pay bills and feed a family, Crawford can afford to sit and wait for the Canelo offer to drop.
“Crawford is talking about retiring if he doesn’t get Canelo,” said commentator Todd Grisham. 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 Crawford’s camp,” Chris Mannix said.
“How much did he earn for his last fight, Terence Crawford?” Grisham said.
“I don’t know that. He was about $25 million for Errol Spence,” Mannix said of Crawford.
“What is really the motivation to get in there with Boots?” Grisham said. “Canelo is like, ‘What do I get for fighting this guy?’
“He even told me in the ring why he wanted that Canelo fight. ‘It’s not so much that I want it. It’s the payday that comes with it, a nice check that comes with it,’” Mannix said, while challenging Crawford’s rationale for wanting to fight Canelo.
Crawford’s reason for wanting the Canelo fight, which only focuses on money, is why he probably won’t get it, because he forgets that it’s a sport. To get that fight, Crawford has to constantly compete against the best and fight more than once a year.
Unfortunately, Crawford didn’t stay busy, and he didn’t have the best fight aside from his match against Israil Madrimov.
Crawford fights since 2020
– Israel Madrimov
– Errol Spence: *After car accident
– David Avanesyan
– Shawn Porter
“Kell Brook.”
“This is the only fight out there that generates the kind of income that can get Terence Crawford out of bed, back in the gym, and ready for a big fight. I know Teofimo is out there to make something happen.”
For Crawford to not want to stick around making millions against other fighters not named Canelo is surprising, and it shows a lack of ambition on his part. Why wouldn’t he? If he wants the Canelo fight badly 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 making 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 out of 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 about (putting together a fight for May 2025).
If Crawford is going to sit like a hump on a log and hope that the fight will fall into his lap from gravity without him having to work for it, he’s going to sit with nothing. What Crawford needs to do to improve his chances of landing the mega-retirement payroll is move up to 168 and fight these three:
- Osley Iglesias
- Diego Pacheco
- Jaime Munguia
I would add Christian Mbilli, but he has injury problems, and he is already the WBC mandatory for Canelo’s 168-lb title. Mbilli is not going to risk it.
