By Jack Tiernan: Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford is confident that he’ll take care of undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor when it comes time for him to move up to 147 in 2022.
‘The Tartan Tornado’ Taylor, 30, could be making a mistake if he moves up to 147, as he barely beat Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez. Those guys could have won if they made a couple of adjustments in their fights with Taylor.
Given that Taylor is barely beating Prograis and Ramirez, it’s a sign that he’s not ready for the big time in moving up to 147 and having to deal with lions like Crawford, Errol Spence Jr, Yordenis Ugas, Jaron Ennis, and Vergil Ortiz Jr. Those guys are the class of the 147-lb division right now. Sorry, Conor Benn, you don’t make the cut.
Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs) wants to move up to welterweight next year, feeling that he’s accomplished all there is at 140. It would be a good idea for Taylor to hold onto his 140-lb titles while he goes up to 147 and gets his feet wet.
If Taylor can’t cut the mustard at 147, at least he would still have his titles at 140 to fall back to.
Good options for Taylor to test the waters at 147:
- Jaron Ennis
- Vergil Ortiz Jr.
- Keith Thurman
- David Avanesyan
- Egidijus Kavaliauskas
If Taylor can’t beat all of those guys, there’s no sense in him fighting at 147. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that Taylor beats even half of those guys before he starts taking losses left and right.
Ennis would beat Taylor, as would Ortiz Jr and possibly Thurman if he has anything left.
He’s already ruled out fighting former lightweight undisputed champion Teofimo Lopez, even though it would be a huge fight and likely more extensive than any fight he’d had to date.
“What? Of course, I’m going to say me,” said Terence Crawford to iFL TV when asked what would happen if he fought Josh Taylor. “Why would you ask that?
“I don’t know. We’ll have to see,” said Crawford in reacting to being asked if Josh Taylor would be his toughest opponent if they fought at 147. “I can’t say an opponent is tougher than anybody I faced when I haven’t been in the ring with them,” said Crawford.
Taylor will be sitting inactive for another two more months before he defends against Jack Catterall (26-0, 13 KOs) on February 26th at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
Josh is throwing away nine months of his career and coming back against arguably a domestic-level fighter, whose best career-win came against British domestic level fighter Ohara Davies three years ago in 2018.
It would be understandable for Taylor to be returning from a nine-month layoff if he were fighting a good light welterweight contender like Regis Prograis, Jose Ramirez, Jose Zepeda, Shakhram Giyasov, or Gary Antuanne Russell.
It makes no sense for Taylor to come back from that long layoff to fight Catterall, which is like someone he would have fought when he was first starting in his career, rather than a guy six years into the pro ranks.
“It’s a 50-50 fight, and may the best man win,” said Crawford when asked about who wins between the Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook fight on February 19th.