Boxing expert Chris Algieri says Terence Crawford due to him wanting a massive payday that only a fight against Canelo Alvarez could provide. Crawford doesn’t want to take smaller money, so he’s sidelined, waiting and waiting for Canelo to bless him.
Unlike Canelo, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is choosy, rejecting interesting fights against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Tim Tszyu. If Crawford fought those guys, they would bring in good money and keep his popularity high, but they wouldn’t give him the kind of dough that a Canelo fight would.
Also, there’s a risk that Crawford would lose, especially against Boots Ennis, who is younger and stronger, and some feel a better version of what he once was.
Some would argue that the 36-year-old Crawford has become spoiled after getting a massive payday against Errol Spence Jr. last July, and now he only wants similar money. Algieri points out that Crawford can’t afford to wait due to his age.
Sitting around for a year or two, waiting for a big fight to fall into his lap isn’t an option for Crawford. He has to fight, but he’s shooting himself in the foot by being too selective and only wanting Canelo and no one else.
The Power Imbalance
“Does it seem like he’s chasing Canelo because that’s the only fight that he’s mentioned,” said boxing expert Chris Algieri to Inside Boxing Live about where Terence Crawford goes next.
“They’re [Canelo and Crawford] such different cases. They’re both huge. Canelo is in the driver’s seat. Crawford’s not. Crawford is chasing, and Canelo is leading because Crawford doesn’t have options, and Canelo has too many options. He [Canelo] can pick whoever he wants. He can pick the things that fans don’t want, and he doesn’t care.
“Crawford is the opposite. He’s looking for only what he wants, but he’ got to wait around. He doesn’t have the power to say, ‘I want to fight this guy. I’m going to pick that guy.’ Canelo can do whatever he wants.”
What’s also important to note is Crawford had never shown himself to be a PPV attraction during his career. His fight with Spence did good numbers, but many believe that was because of Errol, not Crawford.
If Crawford fights just anybody, the way Canelo does, his fights could bomb on PPV, hurting his chances of getting a fight against the Mexican star.
That’s why it’s important that Crawford face Boots Ennis, not Tszyu, as American fans are likelier to buy a fight between him and Jaron than the Australian would.
Crawford’s Motivations vs. Canelo’s
“Canelo is leaving [PBC] because of the money. Crawford is leaving because of the lack of fights, and he doesn’t have time,” said Algieri. “He can’t sit around, and the PBC model is to sit around and wait for fights. He can’t wait. He doesn’t have the time left in his career and his skillset to do that.”
PBC’s slow-paced model wouldn’t work for Crawford, who is too old to wait two years to return to the ring. Still, Crawford isn’t helping himself by being too picky, only wanting Canelo. He could wind up empty-handed and will have lost out on two or three decent paydays in 2024.
“He needs the biggest money possible as soon as possible. Does this still leave open the door for a September Canelo-Crawford fight?” said Algieri. “That’s what it seems like to me what Crawford’s move is like, and Canelo is being Canelo. He’s done this in the past.
“Who is viable [for Crawford] because the ones that we saw are viable, they’re not with Terence,” said Algieri, referring to Crawford having no interest in fighting Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. “Fighting immediately is not an option [for Crawford after win over Errol Spence].
“He was on a press [victory] tour around the world for three months. He was taking the flowers. He hurt his own bank account by beating Spence too bad,” said Algieri.
Crawford should have returned to the ring already and not expected that he would have a mad rush for his services by Canelo. He’s still a counter-punching southpaw mover, and those types are always avoided.
