As Terence Crawford makes a move up in weight in an attempt to become four-division champion, he has been clear that his sights are still set on Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for a future fight.
The pound-for-pound star became undisputed at welterweight last year, and will now face Israil Madrimov at 154 for the WBA and WBO belts on August 3 in Los Angeles.
Despite the good matchmaking, ‘Bud’ was calling for a very different fight recently. The Omaha native is targeting Canelo’s belts at 168lbs, looking to make an incredible jump up to cement an already strong legacy in the sport.
Forgetting Canelo’s disinterest for a moment, Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh has expressed interest in making it happen and even left cryptic messages on social media as to the progress.
With it now slightly more likely, predictions are rolling in. Adrien Broner – who returns to the ring on June 7 to face Blair Cobbs – told ES News he backs Crawford but only at a catchweight and advised him against going all the way up to super-middleweight
“I hope it happens. I think Crawford can outbox him and beat him, but it’s got to happen at a catchweight though. It can’t be 168. And, what people don’t know is, Crawford’s strong enough to be in the ring with him.”
Whether or not Crawford will pursue more belts at 154 if he wins or continue to call out Canelo remains to be seen. The Mexican currently doesn’t have an opponent for his next fight, but is expected to return in September.
With the news that he will vacate his IBF belt, he may look to face the WBA’s mandatory challenger Edgar Berlanga.
