LOS ANGELES — Terence Crawford and his workforce are contemplating their choices at tremendous welterweight after passing a tricky 154-pound take a look at Saturday towards Israil Madrimov.
These choices don’t essentially embody a potential tremendous struggle with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, which has lengthy been rumored to be a fantasy struggle of famend dealmaker Turki Alalshikh.
The Riyadh Season boss sat ringside for the Los Angeles occasion and stated he’d despatched Canelo a proposal to field Crawford.
“If he’s sensible, he’ll settle for,” Alalshikh advised the 22,000-capacity crowd on the BMO Stadium.
Crawford went on to defeat Madrimov by resolution that evening to turn into a four-weight world boxing champion atop the first-ever Riyadh Season card within the US.
The victory was under no circumstances as spectacular as when he completed his long-time rival Errol Spence Jr. in Las Vegas final 12 months. And so he might have time to get additional acclimated to his new weight class.
His coach, Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre, even advised World Boxing Information and different reporters backstage that they’re open to combating different huge names at tremendous welterweight relatively than focusing solely on the PPV monster with Canelo.
“If they need it, they will get it,” Bomac stated, concerning attainable fights with the teak powerful Tim Tszyu and unified tremendous welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora.
Crawford, in the meantime, was non-committal over talks of his subsequent foe.
“Effectively, if the cash’s proper, we’ve acquired a struggle,” he stated of Canelo. “However …on the identical time, he’s acquired a struggle [coming up]. And I’m going to return to my household, loosen up, and revel in this win.”
Canelo returns to the ring himself on September 14 in a brilliant middleweight title struggle towards Edgar Berlanga and sure gained’t entertain speak concerning different bouts.
It’s unclear if Canelo will ever settle for Alalshikh’s supply, however he’s up to now resisted a push from the Saudi Arabian advisor to field Crawford.
Ought to he reject Alalshikh’s advances as soon as once more, then the Saudi official might guide a bout between Crawford and Vergil Ortiz, who fights Serhii Bohachuk in a WBC interim tremendous welterweight world title struggle on August 10 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Backstage on the Riyadh Season occasion, Ortiz’s coach, Robert Garcia, advised World Boxing Information and different reporters that Crawford might not have impressed too many individuals for the style wherein he beat Madrimov, and that tremendous middleweight might now be too huge a bounce for him.
“I believe Crawford’s efficiency wasn’t adequate for individuals to count on him to do good towards Canelo,” Garcia advised us.
“So possibly [a Crawford vs Ortiz bout] is a good concept [instead].”
Alan Dawson is World Boxing Information Lead Author, a 2 x Sports activities Journalist of the 12 months finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Comply with Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
