Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn says Terence Crawford and Gervonta Davis must fight more to stay popular with fans.
Whatever energy that Tank Davis and Crawford once had in staying active has abandoned them after they both made a huge amount of money in their last fights. Neither seems to be motivated to fight as often as they once did.
Unified welterweight champion Crawford and WBA ‘regular’ lightweight belt-holder Tank Davis fight once a year, and both are examples of a new breed of champs that do the minimum, waiting for big paydays.
Here’s the thing: Crawford wants a massive payday fight against Canelo Alvarez, but he’s helping his case by being inactive, considering there’s no incentive for the Mexican star to fight a guy who is rarely seen.
The Dangers of Inactivity
“You’ve got to stay active; that’s the thing with Terence Crawford – he’s going to be out the ring for nearly a year again,” Hearn said to Ariel Helwani’s YouTube channel. “Take a fight to Omaha; defend your world titles.
“You’ve got money; it’s not like you’re going to be fighting for free, you’re going to be making millions. But stay relevant and build your superstar status. People will forget about you,” said Hearn.
You just hope that Crawford doesn’t live to regret later in life not having fought more and made more money. If he blows his fortune, he’ll wish he had shown more drive to fight as often as possible.
If he had the motivation of a John D. Rockefeller, he’d be fighting frequently to make as much money as possible. Crawford doesn’t seem to understand that the less he fights, the smaller the payday he’ll get when he returns to the ring. If you could plant Rockefeller’s ambition in Crawford’s body, he would be a much bigger star than he is today.
Boxing fans aren’t going to want to purchase a fight in high numbers for a fighter who only fights annually. So, instead of Crawford getting a big PPV upside, it’ll be smaller, given that fans won’t purchase his fights if they rarely see him. He’s already got a strike against him with his age.
Crawford isn’t young, and he only has that one big fight on his resume from the Spence match.
Gervonta “Tank” Davis Also Under Fire
“Gervonta Davis is another one. Tank is a superstar, but he needs to be more active. These guys have got to be fighting three times per year,” said Hearn.
Tank Davis is even worse off than Crawford because he’s only 29, yet he’s not trying to stay busy or fight quality oppoisition. At least Crawford was trying to get fights against the big dogs during his career.
In Tank’s case, he’s been avoiding the top guys his entire career, and that risk-averse behavior is continuing as he approaches 30.