There isn’t much left for Terence “Bud” Crawford to prove in the sport of boxing after he took Canelo Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight belts with his unanimous decision win on September 13.
With that victory, many now feel like Crawford is not only one of the best boxers of this generation, but also deserves to be considered on the Mount Rushmore of best boxers of all time.
And his flawless resumé (which includes an undefeated 42-0 professional record, becoming the first male to become an undisputed champion in three weight classes, and holding 18 world championships in five different weight classes) would back that claim up.
However, while Crawford has cemented his legacy, there are still some things he could accomplish in the sweet science before hanging up the gloves. Perhaps the most intriguing to him is becoming an undisputed champion at middleweight (160 pounds), since he skipped over that division to fight Canelo at 168 pounds.
While the thought of Crawford capturing an undisputed title in a fourth division is intriguing, the problem is that the middleweight belts are divided, with three champions (Janibek Alimkhanuly (WBO and IBF), Erislandy Lara (WBA), and Carlos Adames (WBC)) holding the four major belts.
Therefore, Crawford would either have to fight all three or wait until they fight each other and unify the belts before challenging to become undisputed in middleweight, which will take time.
Terence Crawford’s Coach Speaks on Retirement Timeline, Potential 160-Pound Move
Crawford is currently 38 years old, which means he doesn’t have too much time left when it comes to being in the prime of his career.
His head trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre spoke with Fight Hub TV during Crawford’s victory parade in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 27, and sent several messages about what’s potentially to come from his star pupil.
When asked what he wanted to see Crawford do next, BoMac said he wants Crawford to spend time with his family right now. He was then asked if he’d like to see Crawford retire at this point and responded, “He made [beating Canelo] look so easy, you know what I’m saying? S***, give him like 2-3 more [fights before retirement]”.
BoMac was asked if he thinks a move to 160 pound makes sense, and he answered, “I mean, if he wanted to do it. It would be a challenge. If he wanted to challenge himself, I don’t mind.”
It’s interesting to hear BoMac say Crawford moving down to 160 would be a challenge, given that none of the current champions there are considered to be at Crawford’s skill level. But perhaps moving down would be a challenge in itself.
