Terence Crawford revealed in an interview that he prefers a fight against Canelo Alvarez over Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis because of the match’s impact on his bank account and legacy. At least Crawford is being honest by saying he wants the Canelo fight for the money he’ll get.
As the saying goes, ‘Greed is good,’ especially if you don’t have to run the gauntlet at 168 to get the dough. Terence might not last long if he jumped in with the apex predators at super middleweight, like David Benavidez.
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) admits that his rationale for wanting to move up three divisions to challenge the superstar Canelo for his undisputed super middleweight championship without experience in the weight class is the money and, of course, his legacy of he’s victorious.
Many fans feel that Crawford’s main reason for wanting the Canelo fight is for the money, and the titles are secondary.
A Win-Win Scenario
It’s an ideal situation for Crawford if His Excellency Turki Alalshikh gives him the Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) fight. Crawford will likely walk away with $20 million, and no one would fault him if he’s beaten. He would have a built-in excuse: His age [37] and no experience at 168 or 160. It’s a win-win for Crawford because he’s moving up three divisions and not fighting anyone before getting the Canelo title shot.
It’s unfair to the contenders at 168 for Crawford to jump ahead of them, especially guys like David Benavidez, but the fight is business.
“Where I’m at right now, I’m looking at the fight that makes the most sense, and that’s not Boots,” said Terence Crawford on YouTuber Ariel Helwani’s channel, making it clear that he’s not interested in fighting unbeaten IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in a risky fight but rather Canelo Alvarez to pick up a massive golden parachute to give him a soft landing into his retirement years.
“Canelo’s going to bring way more to my legacy and way more to my bank account. Because when boxing is done, what will we have? I would have a legacy that’s something people talk about for ages. And I would have a bank account that would last for ages as well.”
It would be better if Crawford at least beat one solid fighter at 168 to show fans that this fight isn’t just to fill his bank account before retirement.
If Turki installs David Benavidez as a hurdle for Crawford to overcome, fans would love that idea because at least if Terence won, he’d have earned the Canelo fight instead of having it given to him on a silver platter based on his accomplishments against fighters at 135, 140, 147 and 154.
Crawford is already rich, with an estimated net worth of $18 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. That number will increase substantially after his fight against WBA Junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov at Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season event on August 3rd on DAZN and ESPN+ PPV at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Many fans feel that Crawford would have little problem beating Boots Ennis, so there’s less push for him to take that fight. What fans do have an issue with is Crawford being given a title shot against Canelo without fighting in the 168-lb weight class.
Skipping the Line?
That’s more troubling because it makes the fight a non-sporting event. After all, Crawford will have been allowed to skip all the dangerous contenders at Super middleweight that would likely beat him.
For example, if Crawford fought Benavidez, he would be an underdog. The idea of Crawford fighting Canelo would go down the drain with Terence getting blown out of the water by Benavidez.
Crawford is too old, small, and inactive to beat a fighter like Benavidez, and he’s not being asked to fight him. He’ll be given the Canelo fight if he beats Madrimov on August 3rd.
It would be interesting if His Excellency told Crawford that he must get past Benavidez if he wants the Canelo fight because fans could see his reaction. Would Crawford agree with the idea or refuse and run out of the room in a fit of rage?
