Former junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu believes he is ready to face either Terence Crawford or Errol Spence Jr. in a future fight.

Crawford and Spence battled at 147lbs to decide the undisputed crown at welterweight, with Crawford emerging victorious.

While a rematch could one day take place, ‘Bud’ is moving up to super welterweight, and Spence could follow him.

Tszyu had been due to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr., but the bout was cancelled as doctors believed a cut suffered in his split-decision loss to Sebastian Fundora had not sufficiently healed.

Fundora and Spence could reportedly meet to contest the WBO and WBC straps at 154lbs, and Tszyu gave an update on his own plans.

“I can definitely go straight back into a world title fight because I didn’t come out of the Fundora fight as a loser,” he said, reported Fox Sports Australia .

“The whole world knows that.

“I didn’t get bashed. Even though Fundora won, I was hurting him.

“Did you see his face after the fight? See his nose? Other than a few bruises, I was fresh.

“I just had that cut. So of course, I can still go straight back into a big fight.

“I think Spence beats Fundora and I think Crawford wins as well, but it won’t be an easy fight.

“But I honestly believe I’m the king at 154.”

His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is currently the most sought-after matchmaker. Whether it is bringing the much-anticipated heavyweight undisputed fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to fruition, or successfully convincing long-time rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren to sign on the dotted line for the Matchroom vs Queensberry 5v5 event, there is no doubt he is giving boxing fans what they want. Now, he is on a mission to revitalize boxing and has another epic matchup in mind – a battle between two champions with undisputed status: Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, HE Turki Alalshikh had mentioned that he is “working on Canelo and Crawford card” in America, and wants to book it for the “end of the year or beginning of the second year.” 

Canelo, after putting on a boxing clinic against Jaime Munguia on Cinco De Mayo weekend, is patiently waiting on the sidelines for a lucrative offer for his next fight. On the other hand, Crawford, after a long period of inactivity since his undisputed fight against Errol Spence Junior, will be going up against super-welterweight champion Israil Madrimov in August as he looks to become a four-division world champion. One question on everybody’s mind is: Will Crawford be able to put on the weight to meet Canelo Alvarez at 168 next? ‘Bud’s’ last opponent in the ring, Spence Jr., thinks “he can pull it off.”

In an interview with FightHype. Errol Spence Junior stated that he would be rooting for the former undisputed welterweight champion to beat Canelo Alvarez. Not letting the devastating ninth-round knockout loss to Crawford last year cloud his judgment, Spence Jr. wants the Nebraska native champion to achieve “greatness” in the battle between two P4P greats.

“If Crawford wants to challenge himself to be great, let him try to be great. I’m with it. I’d be going for Bud. I don’t know if he’d win or lose, but if anybody can pull it off, he can pull it off. He’s chasing greatness,” he said.

Crawford is already putting on 21 pounds to fight the WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov on August 3rd. Therefore, gaining another fourteen pounds to get to 168 doesn’t seem like a far-fetched idea.

“Canelo went up to 175 and fought Kovalev and the other guy [Dmitry Bivol], too. If he can do it, and he started at 147, if he can do it, why can’t Crawford do it,” the former unified welterweight champion further said.

Interestingly, Canelo started his career in the welterweight division. He moved all the way up to light-heavyweight to assert his dominance. However, ‘Cinnamon’s last fight in that weight class ended in defeat against Dmitry Bivol. Therefore, if Crawford wants to be on the same path, Canelo has already paved the way.

On that note, Canelo’s former promoter, the head of Matchroom Boxing, believes that a matchup against another great talent, David Benavidez, will be a more credible fight for Canelo than one against Crawford. But why does Eddie Hearn think that way?

Crawford’s weight will be an issue for Alvarez, says Eddie Hearn

In an interview with FightHub TV, Hearn said, “I think he’d pick Benavidez over Crawford because he knows he’d get the credit for that win, whereas he might not vs a guy three divisions lower.”

Undoubtedly, Crawford can match Alvarez in boxing skills. But, the weight gap is a cause for concern. While Crawford’s last fight was against Spence Jr at 147, Alvarez has been fighting at 168 since 2018. Moreover, ‘Canelito’ has no plans to cut down on his weight. This puts the onus on Crawford to jump from 154 lbs to 168 lbs. However, Hearn thinks that would be detrimental for Crawford, as Canelo will overpower and outsize him in the 168-pound weight class.

“When I met Saul, he wasn’t crazy on that [Crawford] fight,” Hearn had said in an earlier interview with talkSPORT. “He just felt that you have got a welterweight coming up to light-middleweight, going up to super-middleweight, and that he wouldn’t get any credit for that win,” he added.

Moreover, taking Crawford’s age and long periods of inactivity since 2020 into consideration, should he be taking the fight against Canelo? Let us know in the comments section below.

Terence Crawford looks to build on his Hall of Fame resume by winning a title in a fourth weight class. He faces Israil Madrimov for the WBA super welterweight and interim WBC super welterweight titles on August 3. The fight is expected to air on DAZN.

Crawford has fought for gold since 2014, when he won the WBO lightweight title. He won super lightweight gold in 2015, eventually becoming undisputed in that division. Moving to welterweight in 2018, Crawford dominated at 147, also becoming undisputed in that division after beating Errol Spence Jr. last July.

“Bud” is one of three male fighters to become a two-division undisputed champions in the four-belt era. A pound-for-pound great, Crawford can separate himself from the rest with a win.

Madrimov beat Magomed Kurbanov in March to win the vacant WBA super welterweight title. The two-time gold medalist from Uzbekistan is fighting one of his favorite boxers in Crawford. While he may be starstruck, “The Dream” will be all business on fight night.

Terence Crawford next fight tickets 2024 vs. Israil Madrimov

When Terence Crawford fights, tickets usually sell out fast. Add the likes of Jared Anderson, Isaac Cruz, and a fight featuring Andy Ruiz Jr. and Jarrell Miller, fight fans in California should come in droves.

Crawford vs. Madrimov takes place in BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Formerly Banc of California Stadium, the home of Los Angeles and Angel City FC can hold up to 22,000 people.