The boxing world is chilly. We have been barely hours faraway from Terence Crawford’s virtuoso destruction of Errol Spence Jr. when the subject shifted from the conquest to “the subsequent.”
So, yeah, let’s go there, too.
Crawford, now with all 4 welterweight belts and using excessive on a surge of profession momentum, has just a few viable choices. And if the pay-per-view numbers are pretty much as good as some count on, he’ll lastly have the leverage to choose and select the battles that take advantage of sense for him.
Let’s check out what’s on the market for “Bud.”
A Spence Rematch
No person however, possibly, a nest egg-minded Terence Crawford, must be enthused about the opportunity of Errol Spence exercising his rematch clause. This loss was past complete and, if typical boxing knowledge holds true, the rematch would ship the identical outcome, solely extra decisively. That’s a scary thought. Clearly, Crawford has Spence tactically deciphered. Instantly working this combat again, even with seven extra kilos on their frames, could be a pointless (and painful) endeavor. Perhaps a pair fights down the road, at the next weight and with Spence making some elementary adjustments to his recreation, the rematch might be revisited. But when Saturday’s pay-per-view seems to be a monetary success, count on the thought of a rematch to realize nearly irresistible traction.
Jaron “Boots” Ennis
Ennis is simply coming into his bodily prime as a soon-to-be 36-year-old Crawford is easing out of it. By all indications, the 26-year-old is the inheritor to the welterweight throne and an rising “subsequent massive factor” celebrity, however would he have what it takes to beat a savvy, powerful, and still-physically elite Crawford? It’s pretty unlikely we get that reply, although, because the stars don’t appear to be aligning for a Crawford-Ennis conflict anytime quickly. For Crawford, there’s the opportunity of a Spence rematch and the pull of turning into a unified four-belt champ in a 3rd division with a transfer as much as 154. With a lot cash and so many trinkets on the market, it’s powerful seeing even a hardcore competitor like “Bud” wanting what’s going to quantity to a pay minimize for the big-time problem of a younger, hungry “Boots.” Crawford-Ennis will not be out of the query, however it’s most likely in a agency third place amongst all potential choices.
Jermell Charlo
Charlo has an enormous combat two divisions larger towards Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in September and it has but to be decided whether or not he’ll be capable of preserve his 4 junior middleweight belts whereas he makes a run on the 4 tremendous middleweight belts. However, if he loses to Alvarez and is allowed to maintain his titles at 154, Charlo might be assembly Crawford for unified champ standing at junior middleweight sooner or later within the first quarter of 2024. That’s a number of “ifs,” although. Given the plain dangerous blood between the 2 and the enhance that may give to its salability, a Crawford-Charlo bout is more likely to happen sooner or later, even when some, one, or not one of the junior middleweight belts are on the road.
Tim Tszyu
The second era Australian star is using a wave of constructive publicity and he presently holds the interim WBO junior middleweight title. If unified champ Jermell Charlo is finished at 154 and Tszyu is elevated to full champ standing, Crawford concentrating on Tszyu makes a number of sense.
Keith Thurman/Yordenis Ugas
That is most likely the least compelling of the out there choices, however Thurman and Ugas– regardless of trending downward as viable top-level contenders– each make respectable opponents ought to Ennis, Charlo, and a run at 154 typically fail to materialize. If the rumored Thurman vs. Ugas bout occurs later this yr, Crawford might face the winner early subsequent yr. Once more, nevertheless, that is final resort stuff.
