Terence Crawford says he needs to battle WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora subsequent if he doesn’t face Errol Spence later this 12 months.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) received the WBA 154-lb title final Saturday towards Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles, and he needs to develop into the undisputed champion at junior middleweight.
Fundora Presents Path to Undisputed
If Crawford beats WBC/WBO champion Fundora, he’ll maintain three titles at 154. He would solely have to defeat the winner between IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev and Tim Tszyu to develop into the four-belt undisputed champ.
“It could undoubtedly be [Sebastian] Fundora if him and Spence don’t battle. It could undoubtedly be Fundora,” mentioned Terence Crawford to Shawn Porter’s YouTube channel about who he needs to battle subsequent if he can’t get Canelo Alvarez.
Underneath the best-case state of affairs, it will solely take the 36-year-old Crawford two fights to seize his third division undisputed championship. He beforehand received undisputed championships at 147 and 140.
Followers Need Ennis, Not Fundora
Followers choose to see Crawford battle Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis fairly than Fundora, Murtazaliev, or Tszyu. There’s extra curiosity in a battle between Boots and Crawford than these guys. Nevertheless, Crawford is belt-hungry and believes that capturing titles will validate him within the eyes of followers and future generations who look again at his report. It received’t received’t.
That’s one other instance of Crawford failing to grasp what they need, which is why he’s no more standard. Followers don’t care about what number of titles a fighter wins. They care about nice fights, and it’s all the time been that method. When followers look again at fighters like Oscar De La Hoya, they look at what number of titles he received.
They deal with his fights. Crawford doesn’t get it. He thinks successful titles is extra necessary than the standard of fights, and that exhibits how misguided he’s. He fails to grasp what followers need.
Canelo Dream Dashed
Crawford needs an elusive battle towards WBA/WBC/WBO tremendous middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. Nevertheless, the cash isn’t there to make the battle occur, and the man who might make the match occur, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, has already given up attempting after posting a message on social media saying Canelo needs an excessive amount of cash.
“I might have made it a canine battle as a result of as soon as I began letting my palms go, he was extra uncomfortable,” mentioned Crawford about what he might have achieved higher towards Israil Madrimov to make his win extra decisive with the followers.
Crawford ought to have been extra aggressive towards Madrimov, particularly when the followers began booing from the second spherical, however he appeared afraid. It’s too late for Crawford to speak about what he ought to have achieved as a result of he blew it.
His win is controversial, and he carried out so poorly that the curiosity is now not there for a battle towards Canelo at 168. That is perhaps the true motive Turki Alalshikh is now not desperate to make a battle between Crawford and Canelo.
He would know Crawford would lose badly and be ineffective for future fights towards different guys. He’d now not be unbeaten and can be uncovered as an getting old fighter who lacked the expertise to beat the very best.
