Terence Crawford’s immediate future seems to be as uncertain as ever, although new potential opponents are emerging.
Bob Arum, his promoter, mentioned a number names in an interview with the U.K.’s talkSPORT. On top of the list? Fellow welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao, although that will have to wait until fans are allowed into arenas and stadiums. Among others: Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Yordenis Ugas and Kell Brook.
Another potential matchup that will have to wait: Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr., who is expected to fight Danny Garcia in his next fight.
And the fact that all the fighters mentioned above – except Brook – are aligned with rival Premier Boxing Champions doesn’t seem to be an obstacle in this case. At least that’s how Arum, of Top Rank, portrays it.
“That’s the opponent that I would most like Terence to fight, and I think he would,” Arum said of Pacquiao, who would make for the biggest fight. “Now, that requires a lot of money, and we’ve had proposals from the Mid[dle] East. I don’t know if those proposals will be available for this year. That is the problem.
“I don’t know whether the Mid-East venues will allow spectators this year. They may not allow it until there’s a vaccine. Otherwise, we have to look for Terence Crawford to fight a major welterweight.
“There are a number that are possibilities. Thurman, Porter or this kid Ugas, the Cuban who’s a good, good welterweight. They’re with Al [Haymon’s] company PBC, but we’re working well together with that company, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”
“And then finally there’s Kell Brook, whose management contacts me on almost a weekly basis. So the first possibility is Pacquiao, if that’s possible. Second possibility is a fight against one of Al’s guys. And the third possibility is Kell Brook if we can get him in the United States.”
Crawford, a former lightweight and junior welterweight titleholder, is generally considered one of the best fighters in the world but has been unable to lure a top welterweight into the ring.
He’s trying to be patient.
“I was a little disappointed, but at the same time it’s a process,” he told talkSPORT. “Everything will happen in good time. I believe that all those fights that I want and the fans want, we’ll get to see. That’s what I’m in the sport of boxing for, to take on the biggest and baddest challenges.
“I wanna fight all the big names at the end of the day, and that’s what I’ve been calling for since I came into the welterweight division. They can’t avoid me forever. But at the same time it’s a business, they wanna keep everything in house and they have the right to do so.
“But at the end of the day, they’re gonna have to see Terence Crawford.”