Terence Crawford is nearing the end of his Hall-of-Fame career, and he believes he’s in a position to pursue megafights. That means saying no to some young and hungry guys looking to build their name with a win over the 36-year-old legend.
Crawford, who was recently stripped of his IBF welterweight title, was asked by a pool reporters if he would face Jaron Ennis, the man awarded the belt when Crawford didn’t face him in a mandatory bout.
“Listen, like I said. Jaron is in one place, and I’m in another. I’m looking for mega fights right now, and right now, that’s not a mega fight,” Crawford told a group of reporters Friday. “That’s my standpoint on it. I’m looking to fight guys like Canelo Alvarez. That’s pretty much it, man, and a rematch with Spence, and that’s it. That’s over with for me.”
Ennis is 31-0 with 28 KOs. However, he is only 26 years old, hasn’t quite broken into the top tier of fighters in the world, and is not among the top draws in the sport.
Crawford would be a heavy favorite over Ennis, but there isn’t much for the Omaha, Nebraska native to gain. Crawford is still undefeated and atop many pound-for-pound lists in boxing–including my most recent entry on the subject.
At this stage of his career, he has proven to be a champion and an all-time great. He is wise to chase fights that will continue to bring him generational wealth. Those kinds of fights include a fight with Canelo Alvarez or the rematch with Errol Spence at 154 pounds. Crawford scored a decisive TKO win over Spence in July.
The fight had a rematch clause that has been executed. However, the date for the second meeting hasn’t been finalized. A fight with Canelo would likely have to take place at 168 pounds, and it is probably the only bout within reason that Crawford would come in as the B-side at the negotiation table.
Even still, he’d stand to make a career-high payday for the fight, and he’d have a chance to possibly cement himself as the best fighter of his generation with a win. With those options on the table, it’s easy to see why he wouldn’t be interested in fighting Ennis.
