Terence Crawford says he doesn’t plan to retire in 2025 if he can’t get the Canelo Alvarez fight he’s been pushing for day and night. He claims that a fight between him and unified super middleweight champion Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) is one that “everyone” wants to see and will answer people’s questions.
Retirement not imminent
Crawford, 37, is not saying who he will fight if he fails to pull off the Canelo golden parachute retirement fight. IBF 154-lb champion Bakhram Murtazaliev and IBF interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. will be eager to fight Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs). Those two champions Crawford would age with the wear and tear they put on him.
However, it is unrealistic that Tererence would agree to fight either of those guys because they are big punchers, young big, and would want to end his Canelo dream once and for all. It’s likely that if Crawford can’t get the Canelo payday, he’ll go in the direction of fighting the WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion. Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora because he is beatable.
Canelo vs. Crawford is actually NOT the fight American fans want to see. They would prefer to watch David Benavidez take on Canelo because he has earned the opportunity and is in his weight class. His Excellency Turki Aalshikh would like to see Canelo-Crawford, which will be seen as a second or third choice for the American public.
Fans would like to see Canelo fight either Benavidez or the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 rematch on February 22 fight. These are much better choices for Canelo than a matchup against Crawford, which would be similar to when former 154-lb champion Jermell Charlo moved up to 168 and fought Alvarez last year.
Crawford is too small, weak and old to compete with Canelo. Fans don’t want to see Crawford follow the Mayweather blueprint of running and finishing Canelo for 12 painfully boring rounds. This is 2024, not 2013. Fans want value for their money these days.
Looking for the best opportunities
“No, not yet. We take it day by day. Right now I’m enjoying life and enjoying the fruits of my labor,” Terence Crawford told BoxNation when asked if there was any movement on a 2025 fight between him and Canelo Alvarez.
“I wouldn’t say that. Right now I’m waiting on my options and I’m looking for the best opportunities and options for Terence Crawford in my career,” Crawford said when asked if he was “done” with the sport if he didn’t take the Canelo fight next year. can’t get
“That’s why you look at it and see. This is what everyone wants to see us fight for, because everyone has answers (correction: questions) that need to be answered. The only way they can be answered is if Canelo and I get in the ring and we fight. So, if we do fight, everyone’s questions and dos and don’ts will be answered,” Terrence said, explaining how a fight between him and Alvarez would go.
