Terence Crawford will only return to the ring for a money-spinning super-fight against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, shunning bouts against top-tier boxers in his own weight class.
That’s according to Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn, who talked to Elie Seckback this week about the pound-for-pound stars, ahead of a Matchroom show Saturday featuring Diego Pacheco and Maciej Sulecki in a super middleweight fight at War Grounds in Carson, California.
“It doesn’t look like” we’ll see Canelo vs Crawford “at the moment,” Hearn told ESNews.
Canelo first must take on Edgar Berlanga in a 168-pound world championship bout September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
He has made it clear already he won’t entertain future fights until he handles his business with Berlanga.
Crawford, meanwhile, fought as recently as August 3 when he out-pointed Israil Madrimov atop a Riyadh Season x Matchroom event at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Though Crawford and Canelo’s names have been linked since ‘Bud’ demolished Errol Spence Jr. in one of the welterweight division’s greatest thrashings, momentum has stalled somewhat due to Crawford’s relative inactivity, and winning via decision, rather than finish.
Regardless, it’s still a fight he’s apparently hellbent on pursuing. So much so, according to Hearn, that he doesn’t want to entertain any other fight. It’s the money fight, or nothing.
“I don’t think Crawford will fight again, outside of Canelo Alvarez,” said Hearn. “I don’t think he has the desire.”
There are other challenges at super welterweight, the division in which he recently beat Madrimov.
Vergil Ortiz is a possibility, particularly as financier Turki Alalshikh and Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar de la Hoya agreed to a Crawford vs Ortiz and Shkaur Stevenson vs William Zepeda double-header at an event World Boxing News attended August 10.
“He definitely won’t fight Vergil Ortiz, in my opinion,” said Hearn.
In the same ESNews video, Ortiz’s coach Robert Garcia, who was with Hearn and Seckbach, agreed. “All he wants is the Canelo fight,” Garcia said.
There is also the unique threat 6-foot-7 banger Sebastian Fundora poses. The WBO recently ordered Fundora, the champion, to fight Crawford but, as WBN reported this week, it’s unclear if that fight will even go ahead.
Hearn also is skeptical. “I don’t think [Crawford will] fight Fundora,” he said.
Money might have changed things for Crawford. He made tens of millions of dollars for fighting Spence in a historic match-up in 2023, and, according to a WBN source with knowledge of the situation, received $14 million for beating Madrimov.
Competing against fighters like Ortiz, Fundora, and even, presumably, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis for less money, Hearn said, would not be as exciting for Crawford as that Canelo super-fight.
“He made a lot of money last time out, and made a lot of money against Spence,” said Hearn.
“I think he’s thinking, ‘If I don’t make a lot of money, I’m done’.”
Alan Dawson is World Boxing News Lead Writer, a 2 x Sports Journalist of the Year finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Follow Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
