Terence Crawford’s reported $100 million demand for a Canelo Alvarez rematch puts Turki Alalshikh in a position to decide if subsidizing a second fight is a value add.
Boots are cheaper – and deadlier
Turki must decide whether to give in to Crawford’s wage demands or go with a cheaper, more affordable option from a younger fighter, such as Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, Lester Martinez or David Benavidez.
Many fans saw the previous Canelo-Crawford fight last September as boring, lacking in entertainment value, and blamed Crawford for running around for long stretches of the 12 rounds.
Why Turki Can Succeed
For Crawford to ask for a huge increase in pay from $50 million for the first fight doesn’t make sense given his lackluster, Tom-and-Jerry-esque performance. It was a classic Jerry type effort from Terence. If you were Turki sitting in the crowd that night watching Crawford openly ignore his no-run mandate, he must have been furious.
It was the kind of performance by a fighter who deserves to be paid in the thousands, not the millions. Where was the guilt? Didn’t Crawford feel he owed it to Turki to make an effort to make it entertaining, given his high salary, the way he hand-picked him, and labeled the contest ‘The Fight of the Century’?
Readjustment value: Close to zero
If the fight had been entertaining, dramatic and had a great ending, Crawford’s asking for all the gold in Fort Knox to be emptied into his bank account would be understandable. It wasn’t that kind of fight. There are no words to describe how boring the fight was due to Crawford throwing tricky punches, moving, grappling and holding at times.
The perception that some fans on social media have of Crawford is that he has become a businessman, and is not into legacy as he says he is. He didn’t deserve to fight Canelo for his undisputed super middleweight championship in the first place, as he crossed the line at 168 without facing contenders Osleys Iglesias or Lester Martinez, who were at the front of the line.
Last updated on 12/01/2025
