By suggesting that undisputed status loses its luster if a fighter avoids the most dangerous challenges, Ryan echoes the criticism fans have of Crawford.
The main point of criticism centers on the final chapters of Crawford’s career. While Bud’s resume is objectively legendary, the names missing from his 147 and 154 pound runs provide plenty of ammunition for skeptics.
The list of fighters that Crawford bypassed is what really stings for boxing purists. If he was truly looking for a legacy of “the best fighting the best”, these are the names that should have been on his dance card:
At 147: Jaron “Boots” Ennis was the clear successor, a high-risk fight with less “superstar” reward in which Crawford never looked.
At 154: Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Sebastian Fundora represents the physical grit of the division. Skipping them to jump straight to a lucrative Canelo fight indicates a priority on “prize fights” over “legacy fights.”
At 168: Avoiding Christian Mbilli, Osleys Iglesias and Diego Pacheco, the true monsters of the division, makes the Canelo victory look more like a strategic heist than a takeover.
The fact that Turki Alalshikh publicly mentioned Benavidez vs. Crawford on X, is the smoking gun. The money and the platform were there for Crawford to take on the most feared man around his weight class.
Choosing to retire immediately after the Canelo check instead of facing a “monster” like Benavidez or the up and coming contenders supports Ryan’s argument. Crawford finished with the trophies, but he left the sport without answering the toughest questions.
While the history books show Crawford jumping several weight classes to beat a legend, the reality was a version of Canelo who slowed down considerably and wasn’t pushed by the elite young killers of the 168-pound division for years.
By the time they met, Canelo’s resume since 2021 was more about brand management than divisional dominance. For Crawford to beat that version of Canelo and then leave stage left feels like he was chasing the prestige of the name rather than the danger of the weight class.
