3 next fights we want for Terence Crawford and 1 we don't

Terence "Bud" Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), one of boxing's pound-for-pound elite fighters, made his highly anticipated return to the ring on August 3 in front of a sizeable crowd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The two-time undisputed champion headlined one of the better cards in recent memory from top to bottom as the first U.S.-based Riyadh Season card put together by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, with the help of various promoters. In the main event, the former welterweight kingpin defeated Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) for the WBA junior middleweight title to become a four-division titleholder. The victory puts Crawford in rare company, joining fighters like Roberto Duran, Oscar De La Hoya, and Pernell Whitaker as former lightweight champions to win a title at junior middleweight. 

Although victorious and a massive favorite, Crawford's fight with Madrimov was his most competitive in years. Crawford went the distance for the first time in over eight years since he faced Victor Postol in a junior welterweight unification clash in July 2016. Madrimov landed right hands throughout the fight and kept it close throughout. Crawford did enough to have his hand raised; however, the fight diminished his aura as an untouchable boxing savant.

"Israil was a tough competitor", Crawford said of his opponent after the fight. "I knew he was going to be tough. I knew all about him when I went to Uzbekistan. He's really strong; he's durable, and he took a lot of good shots. He got me to round 12. He had fast feet, a good rhythm upstairs, and he was strong. And he was waiting to counter me, just like I was trying to counter him."

The attention now turns to what Crawford will do next. Seemingly, within the final stretch of his career, there may not be too many more fights in the Nebraska native's future. Following the blueprint Crawford has taken since 2019, the last year he fought more than once, fans have likely seen the four-division champion for the last time in 2024 and will only see him once in 2025. 

Fansided MMA will examine the three fighters we want to see standing across the ring from Crawford and one we would rather not see.

3 next fight for Terence Crawford we want to see

1. Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs)

Crawford has achieved a long list of accomplishments in his boxing career. Suppose Crawford has a strong desire to become a three-time undisputed champion. In that case, the next fight on his radar should be against unified WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora. The near 6'6 titleholder is one of boxing's most exciting fighters and, due to his height and reach, is a difficult fighter to prepare for. There are few fighters below the cruiserweight division who are over six feet tall and even fewer at junior middleweight. 

After a loss to Brian Mendoza in 2023, in which he was stopped in seven rounds, Fundora made a spectacular return earlier this year. As a late replacement for former welterweight champion Keith Thurman, Fundora stepped up to face Tim Tszyu for an opportunity at two world titles. In a bloody war, Fundora walked away with the titles in an upset, changing the course of his career in one fell swoop. 

Next in line for Fundora could be Errol Spence, who met the volume puncher in the ring after the fight with Tszyu. However, nothing is official yet, and Spence's apparent waning interest in fighting may leave the fight on the sidelines. Crawford could step in and fight Fundora in an attempt to hold three of the four major titles at junior middleweight. Following Crawford's performance against Madrimov, Fundora's promoter seemed eager to put his fighter against the pound-for-pound champion. 

"It is clear that Crawford is not the same as he was," Sampson Lewkowicz, Fundora's promoter, told the media after Crawford's fight with Madrimov. 

Crawford's performance against Madrimov, winning the final two rounds on all three judges' scorecards to secure the win, may have done him more good than bad. This fight, which took him the distance for the first time in almost a decade, has opened up more fighters to stating they want to fight him, as they now see him as a more beatable opponent.

2. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (21-0, 21 KOs)

Vergil Ortiz Jr., one of boxing’s most thrilling fighters, is on the path to becoming a future boxing superstar. With a flawless undefeated record and all stoppages, Ortiz's potential is undeniable. On August 10, Ortiz will step into the ring to fight for the interim WBC junior middleweight title against Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk. A victory could set the stage for a showdown with Crawford. The night of Crawford’s bout with Madrimov, Turki Alalshikh mentioned Ortiz as one of the fights he wanted for Crawford.  

At 26, Ortiz's career has been a rollercoaster, with injuries and sickness causing multiple setbacks. A fight with Crawford is not just another match but a potential passing of the torch moment. Ortiz’s fan-friendly style will undoubtedly make for a memorable match, win or lose. 

3. Jaron "Boots" Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs)

The match fans have demanded of Crawford the most is against Jaron Ennis. The Philadelphia fighter holds the IBF welterweight title and has all the skills and athleticism to be favored over almost any fighter at both welterweight and junior middleweight. He has had little to no trouble with any opponent thus far and has shown the same level of dominance with each increasing step up in competition. Ennis’ issues have been centered around his lack of activity. For a fighter on the rise and looking to establish himself as the star of boxing’s next generation, fighting once and twice a year has done him harm.

Luckily, he is a fighter who makes the gym his second home, not allowing rust to impact his performances. A fight with Crawford is intriguing due to the similar skillsets involved. Both fighters have strong mental acumen and a skillset that balances technique with athleticism, rarely seen in more than one fighter per weight class. With multiple opponents at hand at junior middleweight, it’s unlikely Crawford will elect to move back down to welterweight. Ennis can make his move up in weight, and it would do little to diminish a fight with Crawford.

1 fight we want Terence Crawford to avoid

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs)

Following Crawford’s fight with Errol Spence, the then-undisputed champion mentioned his intention to fight fellow four-division champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The Mexican superstar, Alvarez, is the biggest name in boxing outside the heavyweight division and garners attention from the general combat sports world anytime he fights. A loss to Dmitri Bivol in May 2021 at light heavyweight and some performances thereafter lessened his standing as the top pound-for-pound fighter. Yet he is still rated as elite and holds the best resume in the sport by a considerable distance. 

A fight between Crawford and Alvarez is an attraction fight. The match only holds any value to Crawford, who would benefit from the exposure of fighting Alvarez. A win would add to his legacy as the best fighter of his era. Alvarez, however, would only add a hefty paycheck to his bank account. A super middleweight champion fighting a junior middleweight titleholder holds little bragging rights. Alvarez would get little credit for defeating Crawford. With a plethora of alternatives available, Canelo-Crawford is a fight better left to internet forums than the squared circle.

"Don't get me wrong, he's (Crawford) a great fighter," Alvarez said on the Sway's Universe radio show. "But for me in my weight class it's an easy fight. Easy money."

Fortunately, Alalhsikh, a key figure in the boxing world who has been at the forefront of the conversation in making Canelo-Crawford a reality, has stated that he has moved on from the fight following Crawford’s fight with Madrimov.