Bud raised his hand to fight Canelo in September, but was ruled out because he would have to move up three divisions
Terence Crawford appears to have given up on seeking the undisputed title in three different divisions in a fight that, on paper, looked like a big money contest against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for the 168-pound super middleweight title.
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A few weeks ago, his name was discarded by Canelo himself, under the argument that the weight difference was excessive, and now, ‘Bud’ has given signs that he does not want to move up a division, ‘no matter what’ to force a fight as mandatory challenger.
Canelo his also chosen his next opponent in Mexican Jaime Munguía, while for Crawford there could be a fight against another Mexican, David Benavidez, in September.
Even Jermall Charlo, who was dropped as a possible opponent for the Mexican champion for the May 4 show, would have a better chance of challenging Canelo than Crawford himself.
If Crawford had fought in the 80’s he would have moved up the ranks in a short time, as Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard did, beating all the available challengers and earning himself a chance against the Mexican. But Canelo continues to ignore him and he seems to have given up hope
Meanwhile, many pundits believe Crawford just wants to move up from welterweight in search of a big retirement cheque and do it right away, without proving his quality is undiminished despite a considerable pound-for-pound payday.
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Canelo also moved up to welterweight, but unlike Bud, he did beat all the quality opponents – David Morrell Jr. and Caleb Plant – to get there. Crawford should be looking for such opponents first, not getting favors from Canelo, because at this point, he poses no real threat to the Mexican: if he beats him, everyone will say it was because of the significant weight difference between them.
Besides, Bud is 36 years old and is no longer at the top of his game, but is looking for big money to forge his legend.
Instead, some experts believe a fight against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in his own division is more feasible, unless he feels it is too risky for him.
