Newly crowned WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF Super Middleweight champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford has several options in his next fight.
Few want to see him in a rematch with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (63-3-2 (39). He can drop down to face IBF and WBO Middleweight champion Zhanibek ‘Qazaq Style’ Alimkhanuly (17-0 (12) to win a sixth division title.
Crawford’s Next Move: Legacy or Money?
“I think Crawford will do a rematch because he knows he’ll win again, and it’s a lot of money. Why would he fight again? I thought he planned to go out there, perform, and then retire,” said coach Robert Garcia to YSM Sports Media when asked what Crawford should do now that he’s beaten Canelo.
Other Options for Crawford
- WBC Interim Super Middleweight champion Christian ‘Solide’ Mbilli, 29-0-1 (24)
- Crawford could take on next month’s winner between WBC Super Welterweight champion Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora (23-1-1 (15)
- WBA, WBC Welterweight champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman (31-1 (23).
- Former 2-division champion Jermall ‘Hit Man’ Charlo (34-0 (23)
- IBF Super Welterweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0 (17).
- WBO Super Welterweight champion Xander Zayas (22-0 (13)
- WBA Middle champion Cuban ‘The American Dream’ Lara (31-3-3 (19).
- Vergil Ortiz, Jr. (23-0 (21), who takes on former WBC Silver Super Welter champion Erickson ‘The Hammer’ Lubin (27-2 (19) in November.
“Knowing how he looked and how impressive he was, a rematch is going to be worth a lot of money,” said Robert about a rematch between Crawford and Canelo, which would earn both fighters huge revenue. “So, he’ll [Crawford] probably do a rematch and then retire because he told me a year ago that he would do this fight and then probably retire.
Robert Garcia Sees Only One Path
“He could retire now and be remembered as one of the greatest in history with that great win. But a lot of money. So, a rematch and win it again. He might think, ‘I’ll win it again,’ and then retire. I think he could retire at any time,” said Garcia about Crawford. He’s not hungry to win $500 million. He’s comfortable. He lives a very comfortable life. He’s a family man. He doesn’t need anymore.”