Crawford: Once I beat Spence, I’m coming for Charlo

By Boxing News - 05/17/2022 - Comments

By Robert Segal: Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford is putting undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo on notice that he’s coming for him as soon as he beats Errol Spence Jr. this year in their four-belt welterweight championship fight.

Crawford is moving up to 154 right away after he captures the undisputed titles at 147, and his immediate goal is to knock Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) off his throne at the top of the hill.

Unfortunately, we don’t know if Jermell will still be the undisputed champion at junior middleweight. He’s got 90 days to decide whether he’s going to defend against his WBO mandatory challenger Tim Tszyu.

If Charlo chooses not to fight Tszyu, he’s going to need to vacate his WBO belt, or else it’ll be stripped from him. Having said that, we don’t know if Jermell will stay at 154 for another fight. His brother Jermall Charlo said he’s going to move up to 160 while he goes up to 168.

If Jermell can’t take the heat with Crawford, Sebastian Fundora, and Tim Tszyu coming after him in his next fight, he can always vacate and avoid a potentially unpleasant situation with him losing his titles inside the ring.

“I meant what I said. Once I beat Spence, if [Jermell] Charlo don’t move up, I’m coming for him,” said Terence Crawford to The Porter Way Podcast.

“I didn’t see the [Jermell vs. Brian Castano] fight, but I heard he won by a tenth-round knockout. Congratulations to Charlo, but he’s on my hit list. I got two people on my hit list. Jermell and Spence. Spence is first.

“Let me say this about people that keep saying Texas stuff. Spence is from New York City. Charlo and his brother are from Lafayette, Louisiana.

“Stop talking about y’all from Texas, and y’all Texas boys. Y’all Illinois boys, and you’re from New York, Spence. I’m tired of y’all, ‘Texas, Texas, Texas.’ That’s where you’re from [New York]. Rep your city.

“But has a lot of tools in his arsenal that would make that an interesting matchup,” said Carson Merk about a fight between Crawford and Jermell.

“I’d like to see Castano get in the mix with Tim Tszyu and Fundora. I thought he won the first fight [with Charlo], but obviously not in the rematch. I still think Charlo knocks Fundora and Tim Tszyu’s blocks off. They’re both very, very worthy.

“Tony Harrison is one-one against Charlo. I think any of those options. You can line him up with Harrison again, Tim Tszyu, Fundora, or if he goes to 160 and Jermall goes up to 168, I’m fine with any of those.

“I think he spins his head around like a cartoon,” Merk said about Jermell getting the better of ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora.

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