Terence Crawford hasn't said if he wants to make a shot at becoming the undefeated champion at 154. It could involve Crawford, 37, (41-0, 31 KOs) fighting Tim Tszyu for the IBF title and Sebastian. Fundora wins the WBC and WBO belts.
There is no doubt that Crawford has the potential to become the undisputed champion in the third weight division, but he may have to fight three times to accomplish that feat.
Showing the age
Does Crawford want to run the gauntlet at 37 to capture the last three belts? I have my doubts. He looked like he was fighting 75% against Israel Madrimov on August 3 and he looked nothing like the fighter who reigned 147 years from 2018 to 2023. A combination of age, inactivity, and weight gain to 154 ruined Crawford's ability.
Champion Turki Alalshikh is likely to want Crawford to fight WBC interim 154 lb champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. between the battles of Fundora and Tszyu. Beating those three fighters at age 37 or 38 would be a tall order for Crawford.
– Sebastian Fundora
– Tim Tszyu
– Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Nebraska native Crawford didn't knock out WBA champion Israel Madrimov in his debut at 154 on August 3. He would have lost that fight if the Uzbek had been busy in the championship round with continued attacks.
Fundora, Vergil Jr., and Tszyu will be watching the Crawford-Madrimov fight and will make sure they don't give away these late rounds by fighting passively. The Madrimov fight showed that Crawford didn't have the same power at 154 that he had at 147, 140, and 135.
He won't be able to take out Tszyu, Fundora, or Vergil Jr., and will be forced to try to beat them using his boxing skills. It will not be easy to win a decision against those fighters who are strong and busy without staying on the move for twelve rounds to make it boring.
A Question of Motivation
“If it's two fights to get all the belts, I could see it. If he has to hold an interim fight in between, and that interim fight is Vergil Ortiz. The question is whether Terence Crawford wants to fight three times. I've seen him fight two more times,” Chris Mannix said on his YouTube channel about whether Terence Crawford will try to hold the remaining three belts at 154 to become the undefeated three-division champion.
“Do you want to fight three more times at the age of 37?” Mannix continued about Crawford. “He was very picky about his opponents over the years. He got undisputed at 147 in large part because of one guy [Errol Spence] some were needed [three] belts.”
The answer is simple: Crawford no longer has the desire to work hard to be uncontested unless all the belts are held by one fighter, and even then, it has to be a popular fighter to make him the most successful. money. In other words, laziness has set in for this Nebraska native, and he is content to sit at home, waiting for the cash to fall into his lap by gravity.
Money as a driving force
“So, do you want to fight Tim Tszyu? Chase Sebastian Fundora and chase Vergil Ortiz in the middle, which can be a very physical battle. Only Crawford knows the answer to that. Obviously, money talks. He said in the ring after defeating Madrimov, 'It's about the payday. It's about the bag. I want to take care of my family now and for generations to come.' “If that money is on the table, I think it's him,” Mannix said.
The way Turki talked about Crawford is that he only wants Canelo's fight, he will not be willing to fight against two killers to take the remaining three belts, especially at the age of 37, showing signs of aging and deterioration. You can only imagine what the lanky 6'6″ Fundora would do against an older Crawford or a big puncher like Tszyu. Those two would be a nightmare for him.
“We saw Errol Spence inside the ring after the Tim Tszyu fight. This is the fight they want,” said Lance Pugmire, talking about WBC/WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora.
Unless Turki offers Fundora more money to fight Crawford first, he will choose a more winnable fight against Errol Spence. Crawford's fight is still there if he wants to go uncontested at 154.
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