Crawford talks Spence, Pacquiao and Teixeira fights

By Boxing News - 01/10/2020 - Comments

By Chris Williams: Terence Crawford insists that he’s NOT ducking anybody, and that he wants the Errol Spence Jr. fight. That’s the match that WBO welterweight champion Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) wants, but it’s also one that has little chance of happening in the first half of 2020.

Crawford says he’s not ducking anyone, but he recently said he wasn’t interested in fighting Shawn Porter. That’s a two-time former welterweight champion, who would likely beat everyone on Crawford’s 12-year resume and do a BETTER job of beating them. There’s no one Crawford’s resume that Porter couldn’t beat.

Crawford needs an opponent for the first half of 2020

With IBF/WBC welterweight champion Spence (26-0, 21 KOs) likely unavailable in the first half of 2020, Crawford has an open schedule. He can fight Porter or move up to 154 and challenge WBO champion Patrick Teixeira. But for some reason, Crawford isn’t showing interest in fighting either of those guys. Crawford’s promoters at Top Rank aren’t likely to match him against better fighters than Porter and Teixeira.

Crawford: I’m tired of people saying I’m ducking

“I’ve been going through different things with myself, and trying to stay humble, and be the man that I am, but enough is enough,” said Crawford to Top Rank Boxing. “At some time you’ve got to let them know that it’s not fun and games everywhere. I want the fight, and everybody knows I want the fight,” said Crawford about him wanting the Spence fight.

“I’m tired of people saying I’m ducking or I don’t want to fight this guy or I don’t want to fight that guy, which that’s not true,” said Crawford. “I’ve never ducked no fighter during my career. Any fighter that actually called me out, we eventually fought. So I don’t see me ducking or hiding behind promoters to say why the fight can’t get made.

“It’s not a hold up. The fight will happen, and when it happens. But at the same time I’m focused on my career, and whoever steps forward for me to fight, then that’s the fight that we’re going to be at. Then so be it,” said Crawford.

No one is saying that Crawford is ducking Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman or Manny Pacquiao. They do think Crawford doesn’t like the idea of fighting Porter and Teixeira.

The reason they think that is because Crawford isn’t showing interest in fighting them, even though they’re the best available opponents. When the boxing fans see Crawford rejecting the best guys willing to fight him, then naturally they see him as ducker.

It’s not as if Crawford has been sitting the world alight with the guys he’s been fighting lately. I mean, look at who Crawford has fought in his last 7 fights:

  • Egidijus Kavaliauskas
  • Amir Khan
  • Jose Benavidez Jr.
  • Jeff Horn
  • Julius Indongo
  • Felix Diaz
  • John Molina Jr

Terence NOT sure if Spence beats Pacquiao

“It just happens, and it’s how the dice rolls,” said Crawford when asked what his reaction will be if Spence takes on Manny Pacquiao instead of him. “Like I told him. If he gets that fight, then I wish him nothing but the best, because at the same time, I’m not in it to hate on anyway. That’s just going to make our fight that much bigger if he does beat Pacquiao.

“So I wish him nothing but the best. I don’t know,” said Crawford when asked if Spence beats Pacquiao. “He’s got a high percentage chance of beating Manny just like me. A lot of people consider me and him #1 and #2 the best fighters in the division, and Manny comes third. But you never know. It’s boxing really, and Manny is a great fighter.

“He’s a Hall of Famer, and he showed that he still has a lot left in the tank with Keith Thurman and [Adrien] Broner. You never know. It’s boxing,’ said Crawford.

Terence might not think Spence beats Pacquiao, but the boxing public sure thinks that. Pacquiao is 41 now, and he’s not on the same level as Spence is right now. That much is clear.

Maybe Crawford is intentionally not admitting that Spence beats Pacquiao in order to keep from giving him credit, and raising his profile. It doesn’t matter whether Crawford pays his respects to Spence or not. The fans already see him in many cases as the #1 fighter in the welterweight division.

Crawford is being offered far better opponents in Porter and Teixeira, and he’s turning them down. What are boxing fans supposed to think when they see Crawford turning up his nose at talented guys.

Crawford talks Patrick Teixeira fight

“There’s been talks about that fight on Twitter and all that, but that’s not something my coach and my manager have talked about,” said Crawford when asked if he’d be interested in challenging WBO junior middleweight champion Patrick Teixeira. “So this is where we’re at right now, and when that fight presents itself, then we’ll take it accordingly.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that I couldn’t compete with anybody at 154,” said Crawford. “A lot of people look at me, and judge me by my size, and say, ‘Oh, he’s too small for this guy, and too small for that guy.’ But they really don’t know me physically. So they just look at them, and say, ‘Okay. If we fight, then you’ll see different,” said Crawford.

This is a fight that would make a lot of sense for Pacquiao to take, because it’s one that’s easy to make. It’s also a fight that would raise Crawford’s popularity, because it would be his fourth division world title.

Teixeira isn’t seen as the best fighter in the junior middleweight division. He’s slow, hittable, and he’s already been knocked out before by Curtis Stevens. It would be the perfect situation for Crawford to win an easy belt.

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